I Failed Big Because I Tried To Please Everybody

What happened when I didn’t prevent my business partner from destroying our company

Years ago, I was the CEO of a company that introduced a new conference concept in the US events industry. Ours was the smallest business unit of six people, for a medium-sized B2B media company. I was appointed CEO of the business unit and tasked with getting it off the ground and breaking even within a few months. I had done the same before with a German company; therefore, it seemed doable, and I took on the role with a natural ease. As it turns out, I was in for a rude awakening. This US-based project proved to be quite the challenge—I had a UK business partner who wanted to gain control of the business, and willing to drive me out in order to achieve his goal.

Soon after I became CEO, we were breaking even and my position in the company was becoming stronger every day. When my UK business partner proposed that I let go of some of my staff and move them to the UK in order to “leverage synergies (and thus increase my profitability)”, despite my own instincts, I made the decision to take that compromise. I should have stood up for the strategy and vision I had for my business unit and employees. Instead, I gave in because I wanted to please everybody (and specifically my UK business partner), with the hope of creating harmony and balance in the company by giving my UK business partner more control. It was the wrong move.

Allowing myself to fall into the pressure of pleasing everybody contributed to the failure of the whole company.

There were direct consequences that resulted, and things unraveled quickly before my eyes. Despite our early successes in the US market, I failed at protecting my business unit and staff from the corporate politics that followed. I lost control and power in a fight against someone who neither cared for the business nor the people involved. Having been pegged as “weak”, I was put under constant pressure to pull my business apart. After a couple of months and losing two team members, I resigned. From then on, the US business unit went downhill and never recovered. The business as well as the corporate group went bankrupt in the years thereafter.

I learned more from this short episode of approximately six months than I have from any of my most successful projects. Sometimes the “idea” of compromise is comforting, and it’s tempting to give in and seek compromise where it doesn’t belong. But you live and you learn. This experience gave me the self-confidence to defend my vision and strategy for the company that I am now running.

Lesson learned: If you believe what you are doing is right, stand your ground and do it! The best ideas will prevail over the ones that are fueled by pressure and power games.

After a career in conference management since 2004 with P&L responsibility for over 100 events, Sara Maria Spiller founded manetch, an online matchmaking platform for professionals that facilitates finding the right networking partner. Sara holds a Master’s degree in Economics from University of Cologne and a Master’s degree in International Management (CEMS/HEC Paris).