In retail, there’s often a familiar phrase whispered among frontline colleagues: “They don’t have a...
When a customer talks about your business to a friend, what do you think they say about you as a leader?
Not your strategy.
Not your values on the wall.
Not the transformation programme you’re quietly proud of.
They talk about how it felt to deal with your people. That, whether you like it or not, is your leadership legacy.
Here’s the uncomfortable bit
Customers never meet “leadership”. They meet whoever is on the shop floor, on the phone, or in chat when something goes wrong.
Usually at a bad time.
Usually in a hurry.
Usually, when patience is thin on both sides.And from that one interaction, customers decide what kind of leaders run the place. Is it fair? Maybe not. Is it true? Absolutely.
Customers experience you through behaviour
I have seen this play out hundreds of times.
Two businesses. Same issue. Same delay. Same apology script.
In one, the colleague takes ownership, explains clearly, and stays human.
In the other, the colleague hides behind policy and sounds as if they want the customer gone. Customers leave both interactions with very different conclusions about leadership.
One feels competent and trustworthy, the other feels brittle and uncaring.
That difference has nothing to do with process and everything to do with leadership expectations.
When things go wrong, legacy shows up
When everything works, nobody notices leadership. It’s when systems fail, queues build, or mistakes occur that customers decide what they really think of you. Customers are surprisingly forgiving of problems.
They are far less forgiving of indifference.
They remember effort.
They remember ownership.
They remember how hard someone tried to help.
They also remember when nobody did.
What you tolerate quietly defines you
This is the bit that leaders rarely enjoy hearing. Your legacy is shaped less by what you say and more by what you allow.
If eye-rolling, rushed explanations, or “that’s policy” responses go unchallenged, customers perceive them as your leadership style. If you step in, coach, and raise the bar, customers feel that too. Every behaviour you ignore becomes part of your reputation.
Legacy isn’t built in big moments
No customer stays loyal because of your five-year plan.They stay because someone:
- Sorted it without fuss
- Took responsibility
- Made it easy
- Treated them like a human being
The RetailCX point of view
Leadership legacy is not about being visible, charismatic, or inspirational on LinkedIn. It is about what customers feel when you are nowhere near the interaction.
The best leaders I work with are rarely the loudest. They are the ones whose teams perform well under pressure, especially when no one is watching.
Happy employees really do create happy customers, and those customers really do put money in the till. Ignore that chain, and the numbers will always disappoint.
A few perspectives you might not have considered
“Legacy is an internal thing”
Some leaders think legacy is about succession plans or how they’re remembered internally. That matters, but it’s incomplete. A legacy that customers cannot feel is only half a legacy.
“Our brand will carry us”
Strong brands raise expectations. They do not excuse poor behaviour.
In fact, the stronger the promise, the sharper the disappointment when behaviour falls short.
“Frontline issues aren’t leadership issues”
They are. Every single one of them. Frontline behaviour is leadership made visible, whether leaders like it or not.
A simple action plan you can use this week
1. Ask yourself one honest question
“If I followed a customer through our business tomorrow, what would they infer about leadership from how they were treated?”
No sugar-coating.
2. Watch real interactions
Not reports. Not dashboards. Real conversations.
Legacy lives in tone, body language, and in what happens when the answer isn’t straightforward.
3. Get specific about behaviour
Stop saying “great service”. Be clear about what good looks like:
- Taking ownership
- Explaining without jargon
- Staying calm under pressure
Then coach consistently against those standards.
4. Act where legacy is leaking
When poor behaviour arises, address it early.
Today’s ignored behaviour becomes tomorrow’s customer story.
5. Build habits that outlast you
One day, you will leave your role.
The real question is whether the better behaviours remain.
A final thought
Customers will never remember your job title or your KPIs.
They will remember how your organisation made them feel.
That feeling is your leadership legacy.
At RetailCX, we specialise in helping organisations harness the power of leadership and employee engagement to enhance customer experiences. Contact us to learn how we can support your journey toward a more innovative and customer-centric future.
