SearchOur management team is reading a great book. It’s title is “Getting Naked” and no, it’s not the prequel to “Fifty Shades of Grey.” “Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty” is Patrick Lencioni’s latest book. Having been a fan of Lencioni’s work for years, particularly “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” I could not wait to dive into it.
In Lencioni style, the book tells a story of Jack Bauer (not that Jack Bauer) who works for a large consulting firm that recently purchased a smaller firm. The story begins to outline the cultural differences between the two firms, and Jack is asked to work with the smaller firm, learn their secret sauce, and report back on how to integrate them into his firm. This is where trouble begins.
As it turns out, the firms couldn’t be more different. Jack’s firm has done things a certain way, they are proud of their heritage and what they can do and maybe most importantly – they always take their client’s money. Jack’s new firm is quite different and in fact, often turns down clients if the engagement, or client, is not a good fit for their firm.
I spent a lot of time in thought on the three fears Lencioni weaves into the story:
- Fear of losing the business
- Fear of being embarrassed
- Fear of feeling inferior
The book has led to some great discussions in our office on the fears and how best to address them. The way we generate and measure customer loyalty has dramatically changed. I believe this book to be a game changer and my hope is that you and your teams find the value in it that we have. I welcome the opportunity to discuss any ideas or implementations you have from the book – it’s OK, we can be vulnerable together (it’s in the book).
From reading this book, I know the best way to practice vulnerability is the following…
Buy a copy of this book and carry it with you everywhere you go until you finish it. There’s nothing more vulnerable than getting weird looks and questions from strangers about what you are reading!!