What does a washer dryer set have to do with leadership accountability?
We ordered a washer dryer set from Home Depot. While waiting for the set to arrive, we received a flurry of helpful texts ensuring that we had measured to make sure the set would fit through the door and there was a clear path to our laundry room.
Then we received a text informing us that our order would be delivered on Saturday between 4 and 8 PM. At about 7:30 PM on Saturday the delivery driver called to say they were about 30 minutes away. At 9:20 PM I finally called the 800 number and was informed that at 8:27 PM the driver had been recalled because his duty time had expired.
No one had called to tell us that.
Then another text told me our delivery was now scheduled for the following Wednesday. The nice lady at the call center ensured me there was nothing to be done. We just had to wait. The delivery company was closed but I could try to call Monday morning.
Monday morning I was informed that I was not the only one who did not get their delivery on Saturday. The Wednesday delivery date was the next available date.
“So they don’t deliver on Monday or Tuesday?”
“Yes but those deliveries are already scheduled.”
“So was mine.”
“But we weren’t able to deliver then so it had to be rescheduled.”
I let that go around twice to see if she would realize what she was saying. She didn’t.
What followed was an interesting discussion. She apologized for the delay and promised some as yet undefined compensation. She then told me that using this third party logistics provider had been a challenge.
This challenge had been going on for 2 and ½ years.
I told her that although the company obviously has a logistics problem, that was really a symptom of a much bigger problem.
That’s when she told me that out of 10 deliveries they usually only have problems with 3. Wow! A 70% success rate! Put another way, a 30% failure rate. Thirty percent of their delivery customers are unhappy.
In a retail enterprise like Home Depot, everyone from the CEO to the associate on the floor is accountable for what happens to the customer. The third party logistics company is also accountable, but apparently Home Depot does not hold them accountable.
Leaders must understand accountability. Even though a leader may delegate responsibility for a project, that leader can never delegate their own accountability.
When Home Depot, or any other company delegates delivery or anything else to another company, their accountability for performance does not transfer to that company. As a dissatisfied customer, I did not talk to the delivery company, I talked to Home Depot. And now they can count me as one of the 30% dissatisfied customers. Next time I need something that will have to be delivered, I will have to seriously consider if I want to do business with a company that will not accept accountability for that service.
It may seem like this is a rant against Home Depot. Maybe a little, but more important I see it as a chance to show that leadership sometimes requires hard decisions. Whether it’s a team member or a third party contractor, 2 and ½ years is a long time to accept poor performance while trying to pass off their own accountability. Yes it can be costly to fix these kinds of issues, but how much more costly is it not to fix them?
I wonder how much the company’s failure to accept their own accountability has impacted their bottom line.