My Employer Actually Cares

Believe it or not I work for a company that practices caring more than policy.

I just read Seth Godin's post for today, Pretending that you care, It actually made me feel really good. Once you read his blog entry for the 27th, you will be asking yourself, why? How could the lack of caring and courtesy he describes make me happy. You're right it is a little depressing, when taken at face value, but when I read something like this I feel proud and happy about my job and the company I work for. Posts like Seth's remind me how special Malibu Boats is and how fortunate I am to work there.

Malibu Boats is World's #1 selling water sports boat. The company was started by Robert Alkema back in 1982. Since that time Bob and the people he employees have worked hard to build the best boat. But the cool thing about Malibu isn't the great boats we build. It's not about the boats. It's about the people.

Starting with Bob, the founder and CEO, the people at Malibu Boats care. We care about each other. We are a family. I have only been at Malibu for the last ten years and in that time I have witnessed countless examples of this caring. (I say "only" because I am still new by Malibu standards.)

About a year after I started at Malibu I went through a divorce. I was 23 and extremely upset. Now in a 500-person company I would expect that the people closest to me would offer sympathy and help, but I never would have imagined that the CEO of the company would care. Bob called me into his office and basically told me everything was going to be ok. He didn't have to. It probably wasn't a smart move as far as "policy" was concerned, but he did it anyway.

The caring is not limited to Malibu employees. It covers everyone in the Malibu Family, which includes boat owners, dealers and vendors. I know this sounds like a PR warm fuzzy, but it's true. We operate as if everyone buying and selling the boats are family. I'm not saying we are perfect. We have had some customer service hiccups, like any company, but the difference is Malibu makes it right. The reaction to these problems is never based on policy. Everything is handled on a case by case basis while showing the customer the compassion and respect we would show our own families.

Don't believe me? Take a look at this thrid-party Malibu owners site. Post something... ask the question about Malibu. Do they care? You'll be amazed by the responses. You may get a few decenting opinions, but if our customer service department gets wind of those people, they will be attended to.

I could list a ton of cool stories about how much Malibu Boats cares, but I think this one says it all. Check out the this post on the Wakeboarder.com forum. Keep in mind that we manufacture and sell new boats. This post is about a boat that is six years old and was purchased used, not from Malibu.

Thanks for bringing this up, Seth. Writing this post reminded me how fun it is to work for a company who cares.