Does loyalty really exist in the 21st century or has it become an old-fashioned, idealistic principle of a bygone age?

I was brought up to recognise that loyalty was an admirable quality and one we should all strive towards, both in our personal or our business lives. However, today many more people would see the adage “If you want loyalty get a dog, I work for the money” as a more relevant sentiment.

In business, loyalty can be seen on different levels customer loyalty, brand loyalty, supplier loyalty or loyalty to the company you work for or the team you work with. We can all recall examples of these in our lives, but when does loyalty become blind faith and where do you draw the line between loyalty to yourself and loyalty to others?

Mark Twain once remarked: “Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it.” I prefer that quote to the one above, as to me it succinctly sums up what I think is the real essence of loyalty. It has to be earned and then reinforced day by day it’s not something that can be bought or demanded.

The grocery sector dedicates a huge amount of time and money to building customer loyalty. Tesco’s Clubcard and Sainsbury’s Nectar are commonly held up as leading examples of successful customer ‘loyalty cards’.

However, like most people, I have both types of card, and a few others to boot, and simply use whichever card is relevant at whatever time. So can these cards really drive customer loyalty or are they just examples of very sophisticated marketing techniques? If a business can’t deliver products and services that their customers demand, and real value, then no amount of clever marketing gloss will make up for that.

The same goes for people and recruitment. Why do some managers inspire fierce loyalties and some companies have a much lower staff turnover rate than others? Real leaders inspire rather than intimidate their people and successful businesses provide working environments that acknowledge the contribution of their staff and reward them accordingly not just financially, but also with the chance to develop themselves and their careers.

Money will always buy a certain type of loyalty, but as with many things in life, throwing money around is generally a short-term solution to a short-term problem.

Here’s another quote, this time from Walt Disney. His magic formula to ensure customer loyalty was simply “you must do what you do so well that they [the customers] keep coming back and also want to tell their friends about you”. Leaving aside the numerous jokes to do with Mickey Mouse businesses, that’s a mantra all companies and individuals would do well to aspire to.

Guy Moreton is director of recruitment practitioner MorePeople.