Is it better to lose a big account doing it the right way than to win it the wrong way?

Yes, and the founder who can say that out loud accelerates the next CEO's growth more than any other intervention. Kris Kluver, in The Dysfunctional Family Office, captures Robert Mitchell saying it to his daughter Gail after she calls to tell him she likely lost a major client. Maybe she didn't save the account. She made the decision. She showed up as the CEO. That mattered more than 8 million dollars. The line is the right one because it reframes what the founder is measuring. Most founders measure financial outcomes and unintentionally signal that any lost account is a failure. The reframe says authority and judgment matter more than any single deal. The next CEO needs to hear that from the founder, especially after a hard call. The reframe also turns out to be predictive. Gail saved the account anyway and doubled it, because the willingness to lose it was what saved it.