Others are motivated by what they want and by their perceived needs. We should never lose focus on these items if we believe that we and/or our oganization are a good fit. This applies to customers, partners, peers, and those that work on our teams. The same end goal is typically desired by two parties, however faliure to reach that goal is often caused by a leadership failure. Failure can occur due to someone’s ego, a personality conflict, or by forgetting our end goal.
Egos are typically about being right. Leaders should not be as petty. Put any large group together and the big egos will surface. Let’s take a large meeting with a potential client for example. We are there trying to do business with them and are conducting a final presentation. Several of their team members are present and all but one seem to be absolutely fantastic people, but there is that one. The one that doubts all that you say and openly challenges just about ever statement made. They are typically doing this because they have it in their head how something “should be” (even if they are not subject matter experts), and it would take lighting striking the same spot three times before they would believe otherwise. Guess what? Everyone in their organization knows they are like that and they likely feel sorry for you and what you are having to go through in that meeting. Also, the last thing the group wants is to go with a vendor that will be as combative as their co-worker is. Instead, we should focus on cordially difusing any concerns and move forward. The group will appreciate this, and the individual will appreciate us as well if we can agree with them when possible and elevate them among their group by letting them be “right”. We should not let the ego of one or two individuals ruin a potential deal with a customer. The same goes for letting internal egos cause conflict within our organization.
We cannot control or influence personalities. We can do our best within our own organization to be cognizant of personalities and the “fit” of the team members we add to the team, however, even the best leaders do not bat 1000%. Failure often occurs due to internal personality conflicts that result in drama (distraction), and when the situation goes on unaddressed by Leadership. Outside of our organizations we deal with whatever comes our way, and since the purpose of any organization is to serve the customer, we are typically prepared for it. When serving customers, failure can occur if/when a personality conflict results in the customer receiving a lower service level. The team may not agree with their tactics, perception, or just the customer in general. This is where the saying “The customer is always right” comes from. Most fantastic customer service organizations practice this ideology, even in the most severe circumstances. Remembering our end goal alluws us to get over personality issues and just focus on serving. And in the absolute worse of circumstances, organizations can choose not to do business with someone.
Lastly, we must stay focused on our end goal which is typically a happy customer. The good of the customer should bring a calm to any team conflict. When we forget this, personalities, egos, and drama build up too much and may cause a failure. Failure equals losing a customer, a valuable team member, or a important partner.
Devoted to Leadership 