At times, you get an issue/concern reported by just one team member, from just one client, or just one customer. Your first thought will be ‘exceptions are always there. Ignore it’ or ‘this guy is finicky’.
Nope.
In this diplomatic world, not everyone complains. Not everyone is courageous enough to raise a concern. The concern from that one person can be a concern of many more but others just prefer to ignore it. Most people, even if they encounter some problem/hassle don’t report it. That doesn't mean that concern went unnoticed. The feeling of discontent might simmer in people or remain in their subconscious for long. These people will give wrong feedback to others in their area of influence or at worst they might ditch your product/services.
Discontent leads to bad vibes and people with bad vibes spread cooked-up information which leads to rumors. And rumors are a failure of leadership.
Concern from one person might also be a premonition. That person might be the first one to experience it and is reporting it proactively. If you listen to the first one promptly then you can avoid big issues/discomfort.
Understand concern from every single source, especially exceptions, and address it. And then broadcast that message to a bigger audience who, you feel, might have been impacted. Address the concern. Broadcast it categorically. This will kills rumors and give people a sense of importance that their concern gets addressed. This is a small gesture but this can have a huge impact.
Exceptions are not meant to be ignored.
PS: This post was originally posted on hoodasaurabh.blogspot.com