Let’s say that you run a large food manufacturing facility at a distant location from the company’s headquarters, and the CEO (your boss). The QC policy of the company is that all products that come off the line are to be held for 24 hours for QC approval before being shipped to a customer. You have never had a quality issue with any of your items.
You get to work this morning and walk into a hornet’s nest. Your company’s largest customer (representing 30% of total company sales) has several trucks waiting for product. The problem is that the line had some problems and while the products are completed they have been on QC hold for only 4 hours.
The customer’s VP Procurement has called and berated your VP Sales. If those products don’t ship this morning, the customer will have empty slots in their warehouse and empty shelves in their stores. Retailers hate that! Lost revenue for them!
Your company’s service level to this customer has not been all that good lately and your VP Sales is concerned that if you don’t ship the product there could be more dramatic consequences.
Well, the policy is the policy. But, you have never had an issue…so what’s the risk! There may be a lot at stake. It’s your decision. The CEO cannot be reached. It’s up to you.
What would you do? What would your CEO tell you to do if you could reach her?
It’s situations like this that happen all of the time in some form that make an alignment between the business values of a company, it’s CEO and key employees so vitally important.
So, what would you do?
