A new survey from the American Management Association reveals workers are more productive and happier if they're treated with kindness and respect by a boss. Duh, no big surprise there!

This flies in the face of the school of thought that says you should manage by fear and intimidation. We've all worked for someone like that, haven't we?

When he owned a travel agency, Clark did everything he could to make his employees happy. Every year, he took 25% of his profits and spread them out as bonuses among the workers. As a result, his turnover was near zero. Employees knew they were part of the team.

He also gave employees free postage because human nature is what is and employees usually steal postage. In addition, he offered unlimited free soft drinks and other beverages. Clark knew a thirsty employee would be gone 20 minutes in search of a beverage.

No one system is right for every employer. But if you do special things for your employees, they'll do special things for your customers in return. As an example, Clark's employees might deliver an airline ticket to a customer on the way home because they wanted to see the business do well. Clark calls it "enlightened self interest." Romance your employees and they'll romance your customers.