Disasters have small beginnings
Sydney Finkelstein, author of best-selling books Why Smart Executives Fail and Breakout Strategy, tells the story of a construction company that had completed a project for a private school, which was the first part of a multi-million dollar master plan that had not yet been awarded.
The project had been completed without a hitch and the client was “ecstatic”, which boded well for the construction company getting the major part of the construction project as well.
However, the school was having problems with a doorknob and workmen came a couple of times to fix it. But they never replaced it.
One day, it came off in somebody’s hand and locked him in the office.
The trapped man happened to be the person who would award the master plan contract.
The CEO of the construction company now has that doorknob on a plaque in his office, labeled “The $10 million doorknob”.
No need to explain why.
Popularity: 4% [?]
posted in Marketing and Sales Stories | 0 Comments
