EPISODE · Jul 6, 2021 · 21 MIN
When a Customer Demanded Blame — and He Betrayed His Own Leadership Values (Kyle Kumpf)
from My Favorite Mistake: Learning Without Blame in Business and Leadership · host Mark Graban
Entrepreneur and financial services process improvement leader Show notes: https://www.markgraban.com/mistake82 My guest for Episode #82 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Kyle Kumpf. He has founded a few businesses, has been a consultant, and is currently working in the financial services industry. Kyle has a bachelor's degree in packaging engineering technology from Indiana State University. Like me, he's been deeply involved in process improvement work (Lean Six Sigma) and his current mission is "ending human suffering as it relates to process in Financial Services." In this episode, Kyle talks about his "favorite mistake" involving a time when he "disobeyed one of his personal values" -- the customer wanted someONE to blame, and he wrote up an employee. Why did he regret this action and how did he realize it was a mistake? We talk about that, mistakes related to his passion of playing golf, and more. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/favorite-mistake/support
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What this episode covers
What do you do when a customer insists that someone be blamed — even when the process, not the person, caused the problem? In this episode, Kyle Kumpf shares a mistake that still shapes how he leads today. Faced with intense pressure, Kyle chose conformity over courage and wrote up an employee who had done nothing wrong. We explore why blame feels satisfying to outsiders, how it damages trust and improvement, and what leaders can do instead when things go wrong. This conversation dives into Lean thinking, accountability, and the hard moments that reveal whether we’re acting as bosses — or true leaders.
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When a Customer Demanded Blame — and He Betrayed His Own Leadership Values (Kyle Kumpf)
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