There was a loud, demanding voice coming from down the hall during the busiest period at work in the middle of the morning. “Hey there, Johnny! “Now!” in my office. There was no doubt about the tone: it was severe, no-nonsense, and plainly not in the mood to wait. When Little Johnny jumped up from his desk, everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked.
Johnny straightened up straight, put on his name tag, and said, “Yes, sir!” as he hurried to the boss’s office. He could see his employer through the door. He was in his 40s, had a problematic forehead, and a coffee cup that said “World’s Okayest Boss.” The mug was still there, but the furrow had transformed into a full-blown frown.
The boss remarked, “Johnny, I just had a customer leave here with a red face saying you argued with him.” He tried not to sound too upset. What was that about?
Johnny blinked, unsure but courteous. “Sir, I don’t think I yelled or did anything wrong.”
“That’s not what I meant!” The boss yelled and hit the desk with his hand to illustrate his point. “Here, the customer is always right.” The fundamental guideline for the business is that the consumer is always right. He leaned in and peered intently. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Johnny shook his head. “Yes, sir.” “The customer is always right.”
The conversation ceased for a while. For a moment, the boss felt fantastic when he crossed his arms. “Okay. So, if you get that, why did you quarrel with him in the first place?
Johnny’s face stayed innocent, maybe even too innocent. “Well, sir,” he continued calmly, “the customer said you were an idiot and stupid.”
The boss’s eyes got bigger. He made his stance firmer. “What did he say?”
Johnny didn’t move. “He called you stupid and an idiot.” Sir, word for word.
The boss blinked and his cheeks turned a little red. We couldn’t tell if he was angry or embarrassed. He said gently, “I can’t believe it.” He shook his head and made a mournful noise. “Some of these customers just don’t know when to stop.” You know, people should be polite.
Then he looked Johnny directly in the eye and spoke in a voice that was lower and more serious. “Okay, that’s OK. What did you say to him?
Johnny stood up straight and said, “I told him… he’s right.”
The room was completely quiet for a time. The employer was surprised and couldn’t say anything when they heard the answer.
The boss slowly said again, “You told him… he’s right,” as if he were trying to figure out if Johnny had just insulted him by agreeing with the customer.
Johnny nodded with all of his might. “Yes, sir.” I reasoned, “If the customer is always right and calls you dumb and stupid, then…” I couldn’t say no.
There was a break. His lips were stiff, his jaw was tense, and for a moment, his eye twitched. You could almost hear the gears in his head spinning as he tried to decide if he should be angry or impressed.
He finally leaned back in his chair, sighed, and picked up his cold coffee. He shook his head and said “Johnny” in a low voice. “Get out of my office.”
Johnny nodded in a pleasant way. “Yes, sir.” I’m glad we worked that all out.
He then turned around and walked back to his desk, which made his boss even more confused. He had just found out that following business policy might not always be the best thing to do for Little Johnny.