We Lost a Massive Client. And It Was My Fault

When you’re a leader, everything is your responsibility

Image Credit: Gianfranco Grenar on Unsplash

Eight years ago, I was promoted to client services director of a multinational SaaS company. In my new role, I was responsible for ensuring our 160-person team provided exceptional service to our 1,000+ investment accounting clients.

Nine months into my new role, we lost a large strategic client. A client that was paying us about a million dollars a year.

It was a client I hadn’t personally spent much time with, and I was surprised to hear they were leaving because we didn’t lose clients often.

When I received word of their termination, my mind whiplashed through several feelings.

First, I was shocked. How did this happen?

Then I was sad. We let this client down. We dropped the ball. We promised “world-class service,” but we didn’t provide it.

Then I was scared. Losing a client like this was a big knock against me and my leadership. Would I lose my job?

Then I was frustrated. Why did this situation come as a surprise to me? Why didn’t someone tell me things had gotten this bad?

I’m ashamed to say, I thought about all of the employees I could blame for losing this big…