The Reichelt Principle
Setbacks are unavoidable. What comes of them is not decided by the setback.
The mistake
Günter Reichelt was 21, sales office manager at the Hermann Rettig embroidery works in Opladen, responsible for order handling with the large customers of the women's fashion industry.
Then the mistake: passing an order to production, he wrote /2 instead of /1. Two embroidered borders were produced instead of one. A single character, and the goods were unusable for that customer.
He froze. Three days of self-doubt, shame and brooding. Then he went to his boss with his head down.
Herr Rettig listened. Motionless. Then a single sentence: ‘And what do you intend to do about it?’
decision
Two words that changed everything
In that moment the thought caught. Reichelt jumped up and left the office with two words: ‘I know.’
He rang the customer. Told him he had made a serious mistake and asked for help putting it right. The customer agreed. Reichelt kept him informed throughout. The plan was complicated, and it worked.
Recognition came from the customer, from his boss and from his colleagues. His standing in the company was stronger afterwards than before.
Since that day he has never hesitated for a second before switching to solving the problem. No paralysis. No spiral of blame. Only the solution. Immediately.
principle
Four steps
- Accept it. Recognise the mistake, without drama, without denial. No covering up, no talking it down, no excuses.
- Switch to solving immediately. Fast, proactive, solution-led. The aim is not to avoid blame but to limit the damage.
- Communicate honestly. Openness and energy earn trust, never more so than in a crisis.
- Turn the setback into leverage. And stay optimistic while you do. Keep your head up and you will see the new opportunity. Freeze and you will not.
works
The setback becomes the drive
The major customer walks away, and the freed-up capacity finds new markets that end the dependency on that one account. The co-founder leaves and clears the way for someone who fits better. The contract is cancelled, and whoever gets up, picks up the phone and stays visible finds the larger one.
It holds in private life as much as in business. The flat you lose becomes the brighter one in the better street. Every time on the same condition: as little time as possible between recognising it and reacting.
A setback is a fork in the road. Standing still or walking on. Victim or author. Crisis or course correction.
The Reichelt Principle is not a tactic but a stance. It forms one of the special chapters in ‘Mensch. Unternehmer. Macher.’ and is a recurring theme in Reichelt's work with young founders.
‘Do not lose heart at a setback. Stay optimistic and alert. Look ahead. That is how you will see the opportunity and take it, and make something better out of the setback.’