Uncentered pottery will eventually crack, just as management uncentered on customers will lead to costly cracks in customer experience. A primer on using a clay pottery wheel explains: “The pot is only as true and as strong as the centering. This is a very critical step as it is the foundation of the pot.”[1] “The first thing a potter will tell you is that an uncentered piece is a worthless and ugly one. In fact, the first thing you do on a wheel is make sure the clay is perfectly centered.”
Likewise, the first thing management should do is make sure the business is centered on customers. After all, when customers quit buying, all the rest becomes irrelevant.
