Why Customers Leave (And How to Win Them Back)

14

DON'T PASS THE BUCK (AND DON'T THROW COWORKERS UNDER THE BUS)

The moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.

–J. K. Rowling

There is an oft-told story of a company CEO who sat in the lobby of his own building and watched as employee after employee passed a crumpled piece of paper on the floor. Eventually, a member of the housekeeping staff swept it up on his regular rounds as he passed by. At a later staff meeting, the CEO told his team of his experience and asked whose job it is to pick up the trash in the lobby. Of course, the answer is: everyone's.

Passing the buck in an organization can take two forms: passive and active. Both can have a devastating effect on your business.

Passive abdication of responsibility ...