The Day My Client Asked, “How Could You Not Know?”
You make a decision with the best data you have.
You have discussed it with your team, may be with your boss even.
You are confident that it is the right call.
And then it goes wrong 💥
1️⃣ Maybe the client changed direction overnight.
2️⃣ Maybe there is an internal shift.
3️⃣ Or maybe your team uncovers something new that changes everything.
That last one hurts the most.
When the client drives the change, you can explain it.
But when it is your team that missed something, it is harder to recover.
“How could you guys not know?”
That question has echoed in many of my client calls.
Afterward, I would apologize, explain what we knew, and reassure the client.
Then I would walk away frustrated and sometimes even angry with my team 😔
But that never helped.
The real work starts afterward which is internal within the team.
Sitting together to unpack what went wrong and why.
Not to blame or even to document, but to understand, uncover the blind spots, learn and grow.
The key is to lean into that discomfort to have the hard conversations you would rather avoid.
That is how stronger teams, clearer processes, and deeper trust are built 💪
Because it takes vulnerability to say, “Let’s talk about what went wrong.”
And a true leader always remains vulnerable and open to new learnings 🪴