"We will ensure that associates continue to possess unsurpassed product knowledge and maintain their dedication to customer service and respect for their colleagues and for the communities in which they work and live"
About this Quote
Arthur Blank articulates a values-based management credo that puts frontline people at the center of competitive advantage. Calling employees associates signals partnership and shared accountability, not a top-down arrangement. The promise to ensure they possess unsurpassed product knowledge is not a flourish; it echoes the origin story of Home Depot, where experienced tradespeople guided bewildered DIY customers through overwhelming aisles. In a market where products can be matched and prices undercut, knowledge becomes the differentiator that turns transactions into solutions and customers into loyalists.
The commitment extends beyond expertise to behavior. Dedication to customer service remains the visible expression of a company’s values, but Blank ties it to respect for colleagues and for the communities where the business operates. That linkage matters. Customer care is hard to sustain if teams are frayed internally, and community trust underwrites a brand’s durability. Respect builds cohesion inside the store, reduces turnover, and creates the kind of morale that customers can feel. Respect outside the store grounds the enterprise in local needs and earns a social license to grow.
Two verbs carry weight: ensure and continue. Ensure places responsibility on leadership to create the conditions for excellence through hiring, training, tools, and empowerment. Continue acknowledges that culture erodes unless it is actively renewed, especially as companies scale or face cost pressures. The statement therefore implies an operating model: invest in education, recognize and reward service, empower associates to solve problems on the spot, and participate tangibly in community life.
Underneath is an inverted-pyramid philosophy in which leaders serve associates so associates can best serve customers. The result is an ecosystem where knowledge, service, and respect reinforce one another, producing trust and performance. Blank’s vision ties commercial success to the dignity and capability of people and to the health of the places where they work and live, insisting that good business and good citizenship are mutually sustaining.
The commitment extends beyond expertise to behavior. Dedication to customer service remains the visible expression of a company’s values, but Blank ties it to respect for colleagues and for the communities where the business operates. That linkage matters. Customer care is hard to sustain if teams are frayed internally, and community trust underwrites a brand’s durability. Respect builds cohesion inside the store, reduces turnover, and creates the kind of morale that customers can feel. Respect outside the store grounds the enterprise in local needs and earns a social license to grow.
Two verbs carry weight: ensure and continue. Ensure places responsibility on leadership to create the conditions for excellence through hiring, training, tools, and empowerment. Continue acknowledges that culture erodes unless it is actively renewed, especially as companies scale or face cost pressures. The statement therefore implies an operating model: invest in education, recognize and reward service, empower associates to solve problems on the spot, and participate tangibly in community life.
Underneath is an inverted-pyramid philosophy in which leaders serve associates so associates can best serve customers. The result is an ecosystem where knowledge, service, and respect reinforce one another, producing trust and performance. Blank’s vision ties commercial success to the dignity and capability of people and to the health of the places where they work and live, insisting that good business and good citizenship are mutually sustaining.
Quote Details
| Topic | Customer Service |
|---|
More Quotes by Arthur
Add to List
