It really does make sense to occasionally fire clients. As I have preached before there are a number of good reasons that might cause you to part ways with a client.
But I must admit I had never thought that a church would provide another example of why it might be a good idea, and also provide the client options that create a win-win. Matt Homann at the (non)billable hour tells the story about a church that invited parishioners who didn’t share that faith community’s vision to leave AND handed out brochures for ten churches where they may find a better fit. Apparently, it wasn’t a case of "don’t let the door hit you in the backside on your way out," but a real effort to help find a home that was more suitable for them.
I can see a parallel with situations where a law firm and a client do not see eye-to-eye on the lawyers approach and vision on resolving matters; but, rather than just cut ties, the law firm could provide the client viable alternatives that might actually be better for the client in the long run.
A much better approach.
Thanks to Dan Hull for the tip about Matt’s post.