Focusing on your employees is of paramount importance. If they don't trust you as a leader, it is near impossible to get anything done over a sustained period.

However, isn't it the focus first on the customer that drives real success? As an example, what If you're CEO and you find that a whole product line is no longer desired by your customers. Would you keep producing those products and keep all the people doing do, assuming there were no reassignments possible?

The companies that we hear about that are successful because of in part "awesome people cultures" (e.g. Zappos), focus on what is in the best interest of the customer.

Of course, the values that enable you to do that include respect, caring, fun, etc and if you're not also providing those same things to your own employees, then asking them to do that for customers will be disingenuous and inauthentic. And they won't do it.

I guess what I'm saying is the customer still comes first, but just barely.