Giving a Shit as a Service (2022)
Genuinely caring about customers—asking hard questions, pushing back on bad ideas, and taking ownership of outcomes—is framed as a core competitive advantage in both small craft businesses and software services. Commenters debate whether this kind of attention and pride in work can scale inside large organizations, pointing to incentive structures, burnout, and “on-call” cultures that often punish people who care too much. Others note that many customers now select vendors precisely on signs that they “give a shit,” while warning that it’s easy to fake caring and hard to sustain it without aligning incentives and culture.
Challenging Clients vs. Smooth Sales
- Several consultants say that asking hard questions and even pushing back makes clients more eager to work with them; it signals they truly plan to do the work well, not just close a deal.
- A salesperson of commoditized products (networking hardware/monitoring) finds this “bizarre” and prefers to keep things easy and within budget; others counter that challenge is part of demonstrating attention and realism, especially for bespoke work.
What “Giving a Shit” Looks Like
- Defined as caring enough to understand context, anticipate problems, and take ownership, not just execute a request.
- Positive examples span furniture making, small IT consultancies, and SaaS startups with strong customer success cultures.
- Some see it as “paying attention” and connecting work to customer outcomes, not just technical quality.
Costs, Incentives, and Scalability
- Many argue caring is easier for artisans and small shops where reputation and repeat business are existential.
- As organizations grow, incentives often reward growth metrics over service quality, attracting people who don’t care or burning out those who do.
- Others give counterexamples: big companies (Windows, Excel, hospitality, parts of Big Tech) and Japanese service culture show that caring can scale with the right incentives, training, and culture.
- There’s concern that “giving a shit” often goes unrewarded or even punished, leading people to stop caring.
Employee Motivation and Culture
- Suggested levers: fair pay, hiring for intrinsic interest, connecting people to the impact of their work, including them meaningfully in decisions, and giving genuine feedback.
- Once people learn that caring doesn’t matter or backfires, it’s hard to re‑engage them.
Language, Idioms, and Global Audience
- Non‑native speakers note confusion: in some languages “to shit on X” means not caring, so “giving a shit” sounds like the opposite of what’s intended.
- Thread explores many “shit” idioms and highlights the need to avoid colloquialisms in documentation aimed at an international audience.
Recognition and Micro‑Rewards
- One subthread discusses tipping small, unusual denominations (e.g., $2 bills, 50‑cent coins) as symbolic rewards for frontline workers who go beyond expectations.
- Opinions split: some see it as a meaningful, thoughtful gesture; others view low‑value tips as potentially insulting or miscalibrated.