Ditch Fear and Be Transparent
Friday, June 17, 2011 at 12:30PM 
By Lynn Noe, Customer Relations Coordinator
We’ve all done it. Asked a dumb question or made a dumb suggestion in front of a customer. Can you remember a time when you just wanted to shrink into a corner to avoid the embarrassment? Or the excuses you then used to try to rationalize your mistake?
Our team has been reading Patrick Lencioni’s book, “Getting Naked.” Once we got past the title, some great discussions ensued about his recommendations on how to shed the three fears that sabotage client loyalty. 
Those fears are:
- Fear of Losing the Business
- Fear of Being Embarrassed
- Fear of Feeling Inferior
In short, the book illustrates how client loyalty and trust is achieved when we shed these three fears and allow ourselves to be vulnerable and transparent. Lencioni mixes solid, practical knowledge and experience with humor, making this book a fun, easy and valuable read.
My biggest take-away from the book is the model I believe we strive for at Aspen. And that is “to embrace uncommon levels of humility, selflessness and transparency for the good of the client.” So in the spirit of “Getting Naked” I’ll be honest and confess I do not have this perfected. I’m human and sometimes pride, competition and fear become issues. That being said, my target is to keep working towards that goal and look towards all that could be accomplished when we “get naked.”
So what about you? Are there fears that keep you from being the best you could be to those you serve?
Reader Comments (3)
We love this book! At Fishhook, we've found an approach to working with our team and our clients that is very similar to what's found in Getting Naked. (And we are fully clothed!)
Lynn,
Well done....thanks for the summary and reminder. We all react out of fear and need to be challenged to get beyond ourselves.
Nice work!
Ed
Thanks for your feedback. Next on my "read" list..... The Decade of Change