Great Teams Are The Foundation Of Success

By Mita Malhotra, Forbes Councils Member. Dec 03, 2025, 08:30am EST

President of Chewy Health, Mita Malhotra is evolving the pet health industry via tech & innovation to benefit pets & those who care for them

It’s easy to dispense guidance to “put the customer first.” But how does one actually weave that into the DNA of a company’s culture? It starts with individuals. Teams that inherently put the customer first are fostered by leaders who prioritize trust, compassion and innovation.

In McKinsey‘s research, a retailer “found a strong correlation between employees’ passion for the retailer’s category and their likelihood to stay.” For leaders, this reinforces the importance of hiring for passion and purpose to gain stronger engagement and retention. That passion doesn’t just shape internal culture—it defines the customer experience. In customer-facing industries, your frontline team is your brand. How they engage with customers influences perception, loyalty and whether people return.

Imagine dining at a restaurant. The first time, the service is smooth, the food is hot and everything runs on time. You might say it was a good meal. But the next time, the host greets you by name, seats you at your favorite table and the chef comes out to say hello. It’s the same place and the same meal, but now it’s memorable because of the team behind the experience.

Great teams are the foundation of success—a truth I first grasped in my early career as a civil engineer. Before any building could rise, we had to build people through intensive training, trust and support. Though I wasn’t yet in a leadership role, I saw how those investments in individuals shaped overall outcomes for clients and the company at large. That mindset followed me to my next role at a technology company, where I reimagined my career on the business management side, keeping customers front and center, not only in decision making but also in team building as well. After nearly a decade, I moved to a major e-commerce company, where a culture of individual tenacity and customer obsession made it clear that exceptional teams don’t just deliver results—they are the experience.

Today, I use these principles to lead hundreds of high-performing people across Chewy Health. Based on my experience launching new services and entering new categories, here are the attributes I believe are essential for leaders looking to build teams that drive growth and create experiences that keep customers coming back.

Empower Teams By Leading with Trust

Today’s talent does their homework. Before applying, they often research your company’s purpose and values, along with compensation and growth opportunities. Mercer reports that when companies share information like pay and career opportunities upfront, employees are more engaged and committed. Trust starts with recruiting, but it doesn’t stop at hiring. Leaders build it daily—by encouraging thoughtful questions, offering autonomy, supporting growth and allowing room for mistakes. In my experience, employees generally respond with confidence, creativity and inherent attention to customer care.

An excellent example is among the high-performing teams within hospitality. Front desk staff who are empowered to offer perks in real-time—like complimentary room upgrades or food and beverage products—are able to boost brand confidence and create experiences that guests remember.

Use Compassion To Build Teams That Customers Remember

Compassionate leadership means recognizing people, not just roles. When employees feel personally recognized, they’re likely to bring more energy to their work—and customers notice. J.D. Power found that nearly two-thirds of shoppers at home improvement retailers would return to the same store because employees were taking more initiative, such as by keeping the store clean, offering help and greeting customers. These small moments make a lasting impact.

I’ve seen this come to life in our veterinary practices. In one case, a customer recently canceled an upcoming appointment because she wasn’t feeling well. Our team was empowered to seamlessly cancel the appointment and went a step further to send a care package with tea and honey, along with a handwritten note encouraging her to get well soon. When you give team members the tools and the autonomy to feel empowered to make these decisions, moments of customer trust and loyalty emerge.

Introduce Technology To Drive Performance

Emerging AI tools and digital concierge apps are reshaping how employees and customers interact. When applied effectively, they can reduce repetitive tasks and streamline communication, allowing team members to focus on more personal and high-impact interactions.

This next era of digital work is already underway in pet healthcare, with a 2024 survey from Digitail and the American Animal Hospital Association revealing that nearly 40% of veterinarians have adopted AI tools to supplement their practice. In our veterinary practices, we utilize tools to ease the note-taking burden on our care teams and deliver cleaner communication and faster reports that free our team members up to spend more time with clients and patients versus the paperwork.

Ultimately, technology should enhance your team’s potential, not replace it. When implemented with purpose, it can help people do their best work while focusing on what matters most: in-person interactions and building human relationships that drive long-term loyalty.

Connect Employee Experience To Customer Experience

What would your customer experience look like if every employee felt trusted, empowered and valued?

Your customers will likely notice the difference. They may return more often, spend more and speak more highly of your brand—not because of a single interaction, but because of the team behind it. I encourage leaders across industries to build a customer-first culture by first creating the conditions that make great work possible: Give employees trust, lead with compassion and stay open to new ways of working.

Story originally featured on Forbes.com

Mita Malhotra

Forbes Councils Member|

COUNCIL POSTMembership (fee-based)

President of Chewy Health, Mita Malhotra is evolving the pet health industry via tech & innovation to benefit pets & those who care for them. Read Mita Malhotra’s full executive profile here.