Reading the weekend edition of the FT, I came across the term "Whataboutism " in am article. The original meaning was used during the Cold War between Russia and the U.S.A. . The Russians when deflecting something negative about them would say " Well what about the U.S.A. and how they did this to xyz ".

So I googled the term and came across the urban dictionary definition " When you deflect criticism by pointing out flaws in your opponent " .

In terms of excuses and customer service I believe " Whataboutism " still thrives and grows. You still have companies saying " we do not have what they have ", " What about our past low prices ", " What about the forms X company makes you fill out ", " What about our past innovations ", " What about their customer service history ", " What about their high prices ", " What about their hidden charges ".

All of the above are a means of deflecting away current challenges a company may be having at present. Instead the questions should be " why are we having these challenges " and " how can we improve using this information ".

Using " Whataboutism " is just another way of generating excuses to deflect away the fact, customers are not happy with the service they are currently receiving .

Excuses are the future of where your business will be in twelve months time.

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
I contributed to this article
Top 25 Sales Quotes Read it Here

P.P.S.
Quick question
Do you believe that Benchmarking is another form of " Whataboutism "
Let me know in the comments below.