Who Really Pays Your Salary?

Most people think they know where their paycheck comes from — but the real answer might surprise you.

In this short episode, Gerry Murray shares a surprising pattern he’s seen in leadership workshops across sectors and industries. It’s a simple mindset shift that separates teams who truly add value… from those who don’t.

This episode just might change the way you think about your work — and the people who depend on it.

Curious?

🎧 Listen now and discover One Simple Thing every leader needs to remember.

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Transcript

Who Pays Your Salary

Customers As The Business

Internal Customers And Team Impact

The Customer Filter Questions

Culture When Leaders Get It

Weekly Challenge For Your Team

Programs And Further Learning

Subscribe Connect And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Welcome to Leading People with me, Jerry Murray. This week it's One Simple Thing, where in each episode I share a quick, actionable tip to help you bring out the best in yourself and others. One simple thing is created for young leaders. But hey, us older folks can still learn a thing or two. Ask my dog, he's learned a few new tricks recently. Here's a question for you. Who pays your salary? Seriously, have a think. When I ask this in workshops, I often get a mix of answers. My boss? The payroll department? Finance? Occasionally someone says the CEO? But you know what almost no one says? The customer. I remember the first time I realized how very few people saw the connection. It was in a session with a room full of professionals in a large organization, smart, capable people, but disconnected from who really funds their work. The reality? If there's no customer, there's no business. And if there's no business, well, there's no paycheck. Even in the public sector or non-profits, this idea holds up. You're still providing something to someone who depends on it. Citizens, taxpayers, donors or stakeholders. Once I worked as a consultant for a multinational where the term internal customer was seen as a bit outdated. But in reality, the people we hand our work to, internally or externally, are our customers. And we either create value for them or we don't. Wait, even internal teams have customers? Yes, exactly. If someone else depends on your work, then they're your customer. And how you serve them determines your team's impact, reputation, and opportunities. So here's today's one simple thing. Run your team's priorities through the customer filter. Ask yourself, who receives the value of what we do? How will this decision we're making impact them? And would I be happy paying for this if I were the customer? Because here's the thing the customer isn't just a stakeholder. The customer is the business. I've seen it in my own business. As an entrepreneur, you never lose sight of the customer. They're not just a KPI or a survey score, they're the reason you exist. And I've worked for leaders who got that, and others who, well, didn't. The difference in culture, energy, and results are simply night and day. So this week, ask your team, how are we making life better for our customers? It might be the most important leadership conversation you ever have. Want to take this further? Our Team Leader Essentials and Accelerating Performance Programs are designed to help leaders just like you bring out the best in yourself and others. And Team Leader Essentials includes a dedicated module on what it truly means to serve the customer, both internal and external, as the key to your team's performance. Check out the link in the show notes. And that's another one simple thing. Thanks for tuning in. Remember, small steps can lead to big changes. Test out this one simple thing and notice how it transforms your day. Let me know how you get on. Reach out on LinkedIn and connect with me. Mention the podcast. And if you'd like to learn more One Simple Things, then subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast channel and follow our LinkedIn Leading People page. In our next episode of One Simple Thing, we'll explore another easy way to be a great leader by bringing out the best in yourself and those around you. And in between, you can check out one of my longer conversations with leading people about, yes, you've guessed it, leading people. So until then, keep exploring and stay curious.