Delight: Maximizing the Experience for All Stakeholders

In 2016, Wells Fargo was rocked by a massive scandal. It was revealed that employees, under immense pressure to meet aggressive sales targets, had created millions of fraudulent savings and checking accounts on behalf of clients without their consent.

This wasn’t the work of a few rogue employees. It was the result of a toxic sales culture that prioritized profits over ethics. The leadership team had designed a system where employees were pushed to engage in unethical practices to keep their jobs. The fallout was catastrophic: billions in fines, a shattered public reputation, and a deep erosion of customer trust.

This is the high cost of a misaligned culture. Wells Fargo, far from creating delight, had created a nightmare for both employees and customers.

What is the Delight Dimension?

In the 7 D’s Business Alignment Framework, Delight is the intentional cultivation of a flourishing experience for all stakeholders—both internal (the team) and external (customers). It is the emotional and relational dividend of a well-aligned organization.

Delight is a leading indicator of long-term sustainability. A delighted team is engaged and innovative, and delighted customers become passionate brand advocates. It’s the ultimate competitive advantage.

Every Dimension of a Business Must Work in Harmony

The toxic culture at Wells Fargo was a failure of Delight, but it was enabled by failures in the other D’s.

1. The company’s DNA had become focused on short-term gains, not integrity.
2. The Design of its incentive systems was flawed, promoting unethical behavior.
3. Leadership Decisions reinforced these pressures.
4. Employees were not empowered through Delegation but were instead controlled by fear.
5. The only Data that mattered were the sales targets, regardless of how they were achieved.
6. This systemic misalignment made it impossible to create a flourishing experience, ultimately damaging the bank’s Destiny.

Symptoms of Delight Misalignment

Is your company culture suffering? These are the symptoms of a culture that is fragile, not flourishing:

• High Employee Turnover. People are leaving at a high rate. This is one of the clearest and most costly signs of a bad company culture.
• Gossip and Cliques. A distrusting environment where gossip and internal politics thrive is a sign that psychological safety is low.
• Widespread Burnout. Employees are regularly working late, skipping breaks, and seem exhausted. The founder often admits, “My team is tired too”. The pressure-cooker environment at Wells Fargo is an extreme example of this.
• Declining Customer Satisfaction. A disengaged, unhappy team is incapable of consistently delivering excellent service. Customer complaints increase, and the company’s reputation suffers.

Consequences of Ignoring Delight

A toxic culture is 10.4 times more powerful than compensation in predicting employee turnover. It kills morale, stifles innovation, and drives away your best people. This internal decay inevitably spills outward, eroding the customer experience and damaging your brand. In today’s transparent world, a bad reputation is hard to escape and even harder to fix.

How to Achieve Delight Alignment

1. Listen Systematically. To create delight, you must first understand what your team and customers are truly experiencing. Implement systematic feedback loops like employee engagement surveys and Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys for customers.
2. Recognize and Reward Aligned Behaviors. A culture of delight is reinforced through recognition. Create systems to regularly and publicly celebrate team members who exemplify your core values and go above and beyond for customers.
3. Invest in Employee Well-being. Actively combat the culture of overwork that leads to burnout. Protect work-life balance, encourage breaks and vacations, and ensure workloads are realistic.

A Case Study in Delight Done Right

Online retailer Zappos built its entire brand around a culture of service and “a little weirdness“. Their core mission is to “deliver happiness”. This starts from the inside out.

Zappos is famous for its employee-first approach. They hire for cultural fit and empower their customer service team to do whatever it takes to “wow” customers, without scripts or time limits. This has led to legendary stories of service—from a 10-hour customer service call to sending flowers to a customer whose mother was ill.

This internal culture of delight empowers employees to create extraordinary experiences, which has become the company’s most powerful marketing tool. Zappos proves that investing in employee happiness is a direct investment in customer satisfaction and long-term brand equity.

Quick Wins to Strengthen Delight

• Start Meetings with a “Win.” Begin every team meeting by having each person share one personal or professional win from the past week. This simple ritual builds positive energy and reinforces a culture of appreciation.
• Make a “Stop Doing” List. Ask your team: “What is one thing we do that is bureaucratic or frustrating and that we should stop doing?” Eliminating a point of friction is a powerful way to show you’re listening and committed to improving their experience.
• One Personal Touch per Week. Give every team member permission and a budget (whatever makes sense) to create one small, specific gesture for a colleague or customer. This designs delight into the system instead of leaving it to chance.