Today everyone in my company is going to call ten customers. The objective is to check in on them and see how they’re doing. This sounds like a mundane exercise, but there are multiple past companies I worked at that eventually grew big and developed internal silos that never touched a SINGLE customer. It goes without saying that customers need contact, but I think employees need customer contact just as much. And I mean nearly EVERY employee, from the CEO on down to the janitor. Why? Direct customer interaction is critical because it contributes to a more active, focused and informed organization — one truly enlightened and aligned with the core mission and enablers of existence. Everyone knows this, but so many forget.