We’ve all had them

We’ve all had them.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Nightmare clients, vendors, and employees.

It’s easy to pass the blame.

But could the challenges have been avoided?

Were there red flags like…

Unreasonable expectations expressed by the client throughout the pitch?

Poor communication by the vendor during the sale?

Inconsistencies with the employee throughout the interview process?

We see these things, but we ignore them.

Often, we want to see the best in people.

Sometimes we doubt our instincts.

Other times we don’t want to admit we’re wrong.

So we forge ahead, even after the poor fit is obvious.

Until finally months, maybe years later, we pull the plug.

And we blame the client, vendor, or employee.

But what about us?

Should we have been more thorough upfront?

Should we have trusted our gut?

Should we have had more courage to act, even if we’re wrong?

Recognizing red flags isn’t typically the problem.

More often, the problem is ignoring them.