 OUR TAKE -
Mistakes Can Raise Your Net Worth
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Abnormal is so common, it's practically normal.
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Corey Doctorow
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"Authenticity trumps consistency." Those words describe the importance of authenticity as a primary ingredient in the recipe for a good customer experience. In general, I believe organizations cannot be perfect all the time, but they can make the decision to be consistently authentic. And yesterday, the concept of authenticity was highlighted in a recent baseball story about how imperfections define us.
And I quickly found out that many CRMAdvocate readers are avid baseball fans calling me out that the story was about baseball and not about business. True enough. But I think business can learn much from the two primary characters in the story. Unexpected things happened. Wrongs were made. Both sides handled the situation with class keeping the focus on authenticity and compassion. And both of them did not let the "wrong" define them. The person who messed up owned up and was genuinely sorry. And the person who was wrong accepted the apology and moved on.
Here's my personal take on Galarraga (the pitcher). I think he got the gift of a lifetime by having the perfect game taken away from him. Hear me out. He will still be known by the world as a member of the perfect game club, regardless of the record book, an asterisk, or whatever. How much more he can teach his children (and others) who will know not just of his powerful arm but his powerful class in the way he handled the whole situation. For me, that is power that transcends the record book of a game with a ball. And my guess is his worth (next salary negotiation) might be worth more than if his story was the same as the first 20 pitchers to throw a perfect game.
But this is about business, right? So the moral of the story for those in the business of the customer experience is to make the most of those imperfect moments through authenticity - doing the right thing the right way. You never know how much it might raise your organization's net worth in ways you could never anticipate. That's my take. Do you agree? What's your take?
Gary Lemke, Publisher
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