Reading the HBR is one of my favorite ways to continue my education while still in the workforce. At Auburn, we used them as a text book. Here is the highlight from this month’s edition.

Size often engenders bureaucracy and silos. Switching costs give incumbents a false feeling of invulnerability, which can lead to high-handed arrogance in dealing with customers and competitors. A protected core market can lull firms into complacency.

Are you using fear to convince your customers to stay with you? Fear of what it could be like if they found the wrong someone else? Or, do you realize that your current position, however good or bad that is, can be ripped from underneath you at any point in time?

Treat your customers as if they are paying you to do something… oh wait, they are!