Recently, a client was struggling to overcome challenges that were the result of some poor past decisions (or lack of decisions) by the company's employees and governing board. I initially used the term "benign neglect" to describe how they reached their predicament. But I'm not so sure that is the right term.
Merriam-Webster defines the term "benign neglect" to mean "an attitude or policy of ignoring an often delicate or undesirable situation that one is held to be responsible for dealing with." That's a perfect description for what this client faced, and it's all too common in the telecommunications world, especially among small companies with limited resources. But the damage that can be caused by "benign neglect" is anything but harmless or benign.
Benign neglect can lead to:
Fortunately this client decided to seek help in time to prevent that final bullet point from happening. The key to getting help is admitting that you need it. And in their case, they cleared that hurdle and are well on their way to overcoming the not-so-benign challenges they face.
Merriam-Webster defines the term "benign neglect" to mean "an attitude or policy of ignoring an often delicate or undesirable situation that one is held to be responsible for dealing with." That's a perfect description for what this client faced, and it's all too common in the telecommunications world, especially among small companies with limited resources. But the damage that can be caused by "benign neglect" is anything but harmless or benign.
Benign neglect can lead to:
- Increased costs
- Lost opportunities
- Poor customer service
- And ultimately, failure
Fortunately this client decided to seek help in time to prevent that final bullet point from happening. The key to getting help is admitting that you need it. And in their case, they cleared that hurdle and are well on their way to overcoming the not-so-benign challenges they face.
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