Compromising has a pleasant connotation in most people’s mind. When compromises are reached, we assume parties with differing opinions made concessions and settled in the middle. It is the civil and selfless way to resolve disagreements. We applaud and pursue it. But should we? Few talk about the unhealthy side effect that develops in environments where compromise reigns. The problem with routine compromise is that people naturally evolve toward advocating extreme positions. You learn that a decision or outcome will always settle out somewhere in the middle of the two positions argued. To adapt and compete, each side advocates a more and more extreme position to ensure the compromise either remains in the middle or more closely aligns with the desired outcome. It is a game we learn to play and play well, but it is subtlety destructive. Consider everyday politics. Politicians and parties are locked in a tug of war,…

If you owned a coffee shop, you would have your team try the coffee. Not once, but everyday. The daily sip would help them correct problems quickly and be familiar with what the customer was experiencing. If your organization provides tangible goods and services to customers, it is easy to try the coffee. Far too many organizations ignore this simple routine, but it can be done with little cost or effort. What about all the intangible customer experiences such as interactions with your team that reveal an organization’s attitude, vision and values? How does your team get a taste of the intangibles everyday to make quick corrections and be familiar with the customer experience? This is where effective leadership come in. This is where culture makes a tremendous difference. An organization must find ways to parallel internally the intangible experiences they aspire for their customers to experience externally. If you…