Time changes all things. Sometimes things change intentionally and sometimes they change simply because that is the nature of things. We hire employees and managers to enact our will but their interpretation may be flawed leading to actions that go against the direction of our mission. Sometimes they simply take the expedient route.
Moving in a direction requires effort. Much like a ship at sea with the winds and tides trying to push it off course, our businesses are constantly being pushed and pulled in other directions. “Your competitors price is like this.” “I don’t care about the value, I just want the service.” “If we don’t make an exception we will lose this customer.” These statements all lead to erosion of the mission.
The interesting thing is, at a certain point you are no longer the one receiving these demands and your other leaders are. Have you trained them in the right direction? Do they know the effect of a race to the bottom on price? Do they understand that sometimes losing a customer can be a good thing?