I recently talked to a CEO of a major corporation that is held in very high regard. The company has a long record of charitable giving, they were green before green was cool, and they have been consistently recognized as one of the best places to work for decades. Their executive team is made up of people you would welcome as neighbors. Honest, hard working folks that are doing their best in a tough economy. As a consultant, I have had times I questioned their judgment, but I have never doubted their motives.
The company is fiscally conservative and makes no apologies for it. They offer free classes to employees on financial responsibility and planning. They are currently looking at a project to redesign their corporate offices which also serve as a showroom for their product. He talked about the different plans that members of his team had put forward. Some, in his mind, violated their principle of fiscal conservatism. He got much push back when he made tough decisions to reject plans that people had poured their heart into developing. Then he said something that revealed a big reason for success in this company. He had suggested to one of his executive staff members that they ought to put their jeans on and come in over the weekend to paint the place themselves. He meant it. I could easily see him walking down the aisle of the home improvement store with a cart full of brushes and rollers. Probably using a coupon. I thought about other successful entrepreneurs I know that think the same way. One friend is the owner of a very successful restaurant that still has people lined up waiting for hours to get in after thirty years of business. I drove past the restaurant recently and saw him on the second story roof fixing the exhaust fan. It wouldn’t occur to him to do anything other than get up on the ladder and fix it. Of course the counter argument might be that a CEO or owner has better things to do than manual labor. I don’t think so.
There are some practical leadership lessons here. First, both of these leaders truly modeled the way. Their actions send a strong message to employees. Nothing is above or below our place in the business if there are things that need to be done that we can do. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the employees of the restaurant routinely bend down to pick up litter on the sidewalk on their way into work.
Second, the painting of the workspace provides an opportunity for each employee to get personally involved. This company routinely sends teams of volunteers into depressed areas to rehab community buildings and homes. Why not give them a chance to spruce up their own place? My guess is for the cost of a barbecue lunch on the front yard, this CEO would be joined by many employees eager to help. Heck, they would probably all bring a dish to pass.
Third, in the often impersonal world of business, this offers a chance to get close and personal. My wife and I recently painted our kitchen. It’s bright and clean. What is more important, it is a reflection of us…it makes it more our home. The same thing would be true at the corporate office.
Lastly, it confirms that every member of the organization is an important member and that rank means much less than some think. I work at some corporations where the CEO wouldn’t be caught dead getting paint on their Gucci shoes. Or where employees wouldn’t demand double time for working on the weekend. Those companies do not appear on the great places to work list.
I watched a couple of episodes of Undercover Boss. The very idea that a CEO could go undercover in his/her organization boggles my mind. Odds are that you wouldn’t find them painting or wielding a screwdriver on the roof of their office building. Unless of course there was a television crew there. They could learn a lot from these two leaders. I know I have.
