Conscious Leadership Requires Checking the Blame Game at The Door

And it’s just good business practice! You can't blame your customer for your behavior and expect to succeed in this market – or any market.I just competitively shopped some insurance needs. I discovered I was quoted one price and when it came time to pay the premium, a different price was added to the bill. When questioned, instead of neutrally educating me and explaining the process, the agent attacked me and proceeded to defend his position. Who wants to feel they are in an adversarial position when they are paying for a service? Is fear circulating in the market fostering bait and switch tactics to get business? So I rescinded the business, politely telling him, “I was uncomfortable with how things played out so I went back to my former agent. Thank you for your effort.”

I was taken aback when he attacked me again, questioning MY ethics. What makes him think that by criticizing my cognitive and time management abilities, etc. that that would a) leave the door open for any potential business in the future business, or b) engender me to speak well of him and his services?

What is the driver for this kind of behavior – does it ever help business to criticize your customers or potential customers? Indicators suggest the economy is picking up - and despite what you or your business are navigating - these times especially require going back to the basics of great customer service and professionalism. You can't blame your customer for wanting to legitimately get the best value for their dollar and, for me just as important, feel good about the interaction. What happened to old fashioned  character, decency - honesty, competency, and integrity? This is what I call conscious leadership - whether you land the business or not.