What employees want in a leader is someone who articulates the values the company stands for and models his or her behavior on those values in matters large and small. Everyone is looking for the little, genuine moments that reflect well on the posted conduct codes. More than grand gestures, it’s the cumulative effect of the chief executive’s everyday interactions that will resonate with people and form their perception of his or her people skills.
These genuine gestures may be termed “small decencies”. They’re the key to an immediate and perceptible improvement in your CEO’s internal reputation and to a healthy corporate culture. Decencies demonstrate the respect, consideration and kindness that people want from leaders. They can be as simple as remembering people’s names or as involved as Southwest Airline’s “Top Wrench Award” recognizing behind-the-scenes workers. Drops of decency create a pool of goodwill that can dissolve the cynicism that corrodes a corporate culture.
Decencies emanate from a genuine respect for others, but the combination of increasing responsibility and the relentless demands of business often crowd out time for small decencies. As for your CEO, how do you go about introducing the subject of decencies without implying that he or she may be in particular need of them?
1. Couch it in culture
Tell your CEO that you’ve heard of a way to improve your corporate culture that is virtually free, can be implemented immediately and doesn’t involve an army of outside consultants. What CEO could resist that offer? For a complete discussion of how decency molds culture, take a look at The Manager’s Book of Decencies: How Small Gestures Build Great Companies. Far from suggesting a programmatic approach, it shows how the way CEOs act with people makes a difference.
Your CEO can’t be perceived as having people skills if he or she is never accessible to people outside of the inner circle.
2. Encourage accessibility
Your CEO can’t be perceived as having people skills if he or she is never accessible to people outside of the inner circle. Suggest that your CEO get out of the office by showing up in the employee cafeteria unannounced every now and then. How about open-door office hours, such as university professors have? Too daunting? Pre-plan a low-key opportunity instead. Herb Baum, former CEO of the Dial Corporation, held “Hotdogs with Herb” sessions, which he describes as “fun, casual lunches where I get to spend quality time with a small group of employees … employees get to know me, and I get a chance to know them and listen to their concerns or feedback.”
3. Dissolve executive privileges
Nothing will bring your CEO closer to people than a palpable essence of humility, but our organizations are full of symbols of executive privilege that erode trust and connection. Be the first on the executive committee to eschew the exclusive dining room or reserved parking place, and encourage your close colleagues and CEO to follow suit. Come budget time, find cost reductions by chipping away at perks that isolate and idolize executives. Back up these changes by inserting language into your CEO’s speeches that gives the credit for every success to employees, and hoards the blame for mistakes.
4. Appreciate with thank-you notes
Never underestimate the power of a hand-written thank-you note. Using paper to deliver genuine acknowledgement is a handy trick, whether it’s discomfort, arrogance or simple lack of time that hinders your CEO. Chances are, he or she doesn’t know who’s making great contributions. Compile a list of five achievers and their contributions at the end of every week. Ask the CEO to write short notes to each. Proud recipients will display them on their workstations, and before long, the CEO’s reputation will improve. Getting some pushback? Tell him or her about Doug Conant, CEO of Campbell Soup. He’s been known to write five to 10 thank-you notes a day.
5. Put decency on the agenda
Sometimes, our CEO’s best everyday efforts are eclipsed by one visible action that smacks of disrespect. It’s at crucial times like downsizings and restructurings that your CEO’s reputation is made or lost. Most employees today accept the reality of job cuts; what they can’t accept is a process that strips them not only of their jobs, but also of their dignity. As an HR leader, make sure that decency is on the agenda when your company is planning a lay-off or even the separation of one employee. Make sure your CEO communicates in a transparent, honest and timely way and is immediately accessible to attend to the anxieties of remaining employees in the weeks after the event.
Source: Steve Harrison, author of The Manager’s Book of Decencies: How Small Gestures Build Great Companies
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