How Bad Times Result in Bad Business
During the first downturn I experienced as a management consultant, I almost took on a project ill-suited to our firm.
Had we taken it, the probability of failure would have been high. But I was focused on keeping my team employed and had rationalized all problems away.
Fortunately, a boss, more worldly wise than I was, stopped me, saying, “Hunger spoils one’s judgment. In tough times it’s especially important to remind yourself that the client’s best interests come first.”
Bad times have come again, and this week’s news makes a recovery look further away than ever. So, I pass the caution on to you. Don’t let hunger spoil your judgment. True professionals always put the client’s interests first.
January 8th, 2009 at 11:24 am
This is a great short story, Ford. I like the way it’s written and I like the message. I’ve recently started to publish some findings on customer experience and would like to reference this post as a great observation. Is that OK with you?
Cheers - I’ll be back to read some more very soon
Doug