Must admit, I have fallen in love all over again today. Tis true and I didn't think it would be possible, especially with the former Chief Executive of Continental Airlines (1994-2004), Gordon M. Bethune. One of the main reasons is that he’s a true believer in people as a main focus and driver of the success of an organization. Mr. Bethune melds talk with action.
When I developed my eight step execution system, “Execute Like Crazy,™” you could say it was done out of careful and courageous thought about working with thousands of leaders over many years and seeing what separates great leaders and organizations from mediocre ones. This is true and really, I developed it out of a sense of passion for people.
If you don’t have “people centric leadership” you are screwed. Tis the truth. It is the people that make organizations competitive, who create innovation, who develop the resources to separate you from the pack. For all the utilitarian folks out there, it’s the people who make the money and who grow and expand the resources. With proper thinking aligned with action, your leadership can soar – that is if you do put your people first.
Don't just take it from me, consider some advice from Mr. Bethune,
• “If you treat me with respect, I’ll do more for you.”
• “I never forgot what it’s like to be down the ladder, and that being good at your job is predicated pretty much on how the people working for you feel.”
• “I’ve got 10 guys working for me, and for the last five years, every time I got any recognition, I said, “Bring them on the stage with me.”
• “I hired the best people. The sickest patients need the best doctors, so you can’t skimp on this stuff. “
• “The really good people want autonomy — you let me do it, and I’ll do it.”
• “I’m going to do is take a look at your performance. Then I’ll ask, how are we keeping you from doing your job? But you know, if it’s not the old equipment that’s to blame, and it’s you, I’ll find that out pretty quickly.”
• “You have to hire people with good judgment. That’s No. 1. If they have it, whatever they’re put in, they’ll get good at it…Somebody who knows what they’re doing, who has a good track record, they come across as very articulate, bright and looking for a challenge — that’s absolutely my kind of hire.“
• “Actually take the time to go over to somebody’s office and personally thank them. You need to take the time to show the people around you who work for you that you’re interested in them.”
And here’s a personal favorite…many organizations are undergoing vast transitions. One of the key elements that will separate successful transitions/changes from failures is the ability to communicate and to do it well with consistency and careful thought and approach. Take a note from Mr. Bethune: “I did a weekly voice mail — every week for 10 years, a three- to five-minute message. Every week I’d tell them what was going on. And we had a daily update with our stock price, our on-time performance, who did what to whom in our industry. So the employees always kind of knew what was going on. They had direct access to me, and direct access to the information.
And we never lied. You don’t lie to your own doctor. You don’t lie to your own attorney, and you don’t lie to your employees. And if you never lie, then when it hits the fan, and somebody says you’re wrong — you can say, “No, I’m not,” and they’ll believe you.
Now that is people centric leadership!
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