You can read the online article on page 80 and 81.
Recently I had to make the tough decision to conclude a contract with a long-standing client. Am I crazy to let a steady retainer client go? Maybe. Is the sanity and well-being of my team more important? You bet!
I had noticed that the harder the team tried to please this client’s unrealistic demands by making sure that they always met the incredibly tight deadlines for last minute work, another curveball catapulted their way. It was almost like the challenges seen in the Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle where one is left wondering what it will take to derail the players. With the utmost grace and balancing act skills, they took on each challenge and delivered each task that was hurled their way regardless of what was already on their diary. I feel bad for allowing this to carry on for so long and not stepping in much sooner.
It was like a typical abusive relationship where one thinks that things will get better the harder you work at it. The problem comes in when only one of the parties is willing to work hard at it. One of the (many) straws that broke the camel’s back was a recent incident where another report was required with an impractical deadline. Not so much as a ‘thank you’ was offered to the team member who had put in additional hours to make sure the client looked good at the boardroom table.
I recently read The Best Place to Work. The author Dr Ron Friedman writes: “Being ignored is often more psychologically painful than being treated poorly … Being recognised feels so good because it is the ultimate sign of belonging.” This made me realise that perhaps we don’t belong together anymore.
We all grow up being taught that the ‘client is always right’, and we need to make sure that the client is always happy. The truth is, they are not, and it is OK to put your foot down.
That is why living the values of your company is so important. Company values shouldn’t be something found only on a website; forgotten about and revisited once a year at a strategy session. I’ve mentioned before that I encourage each team member to share a story weekly of how our values of respect, authenticity and growth have reflected in their lives, be it through something that they have read, a meeting they had or just living life. We also use these values when making decisions regarding new recruits, new business and when taking stock of current projects.
Standing at the crossroad, having to decide which direction to take with this client, I used our values to help me with my decision-making process.
Respect: I have huge respect for their company, their legacy and what they do in the community; unfortunately the client didn’t reciprocate that respect for my team and what we do.
Growth: I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to have worked with them, and we have grown in leaps and bounds. Our direction has changed quite significantly from our early service offering to where we are today focussed on reputation research and expanding into Africa. Unfortunately, the direction that they are taking does not fit well with what we offer.
Authenticity: this was the clincher for me as I realised that my team were not sold on the client’s core values, which began to compromise their values. It is not fair of me to expect my team to work on a project that they aren’t fully committed to. Even though it did not impact the delivery of work, I do believe that everything we do needs to be authentic.
A ‘break up’ is never easy, but I have learnt that it leads one on to even better opportunities, ones that you could never have dreamt of. It is about being brave, saying no, and remembering that a ‘thank you!’ can make a massive difference to a person’s day.
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