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This Is Heart Science
By Dr. J. Howard Baker
Homer
Hickam probably isn’t a name very many will recognize, but early in his life he
knew what he loved and wanted for a career. He wanted to be a rocket scientist.
Mr. Hickman is the author of many
books including Rocket Boys, the
memoir about his boyhood adventures building rockets and growing up in the
mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia 1. Rocket Boys was made
into an award-winning 1999 motion picture titled October Sky. The author had
a boyhood dream of becoming a rocket scientist, and eventually became an
engineer at NASA. What he did for a
living was real rocket science!
Rocket scientists are viewed by
society as having a great deal of intelligence. What they do is considered difficult. Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, head of the Defense
Department's missile-defense, in recently referring to ABM missile-defense
research said, “This is rocket science,
and it is difficult...” 2
Because
of widespread acknowledgement that rocket science is complex and difficult, we
often hear politicians and business leaders saying, “This is not
rocket science.” This means that what
they are talking about is not that difficult to understand.
For
example, Gary Ruskin, the director of the Congressional Accountability Project
(an organization founded by Ralph Nader), in arguing for more disclosure of
public documents on the Internet, recently said, “None of this is rocket science. A perfectly competent
12-year-old could write this database.” 3
Pete
Stark (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee
recently said, “Mr. Bush, let’s not waste time on this proposal…This is not rocket science. The outlines for a
compromise are pretty clear.” 4
Finally,
John F. “Jack” Welch, 5 20 year Chairman and CEO of General
Electric, gave this advice to the MBA class of 2001 at Harvard Business School:
“Business isn’t rocket science…Your job as a manager is to give people confidence.”
6
Business
may not be rocket science, but it should
be what I call “heart science!” Rocket science is difficult to understand and difficult
to do. Heart science is simple to understand but difficult to do. Heart science is what it takes to build and
maintain an organizational “culture of
the heart.”
Three of the companies at the top of
Fortune magazine’s 7
annual listing of “the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America”—Southwest
Airlines 8, Synovus Financial 9, and The Container Store 10—have
all created and sustained such a culture
of the heart. It is based on the
premise that if you take care of people,
the profit will take care of itself. It’s people caring for people. It is putting people first.
Synovus
corporate values include applying the Golden Rule. Their corporate web site contains this message:
“It all starts with treating people
right—the way you want to be treated. It's an old cliché', but it makes a lot
of sense to us.” 11
In a
Synovus produced video entitled “A Culture of the Heart” these values are
further explained:
“Take care of your people. Take care
of your customers. Treat them like you want to be treated. That’s the key.” (Spoken by Stephen T. Butler, President and
CEO of W.C. Bradley Company, a company established by the same family that
established Synovus.)
Treating people like you want to be
treated is known as the Golden Rule.
Southwest Airlines’ philosophy includes eleven primary attitudes. One of these is “always practice the Golden
Rule, internally and externally.” (Freiberg, 1996)
At The Container
Store the maxim “treat people as you want to be treated” is granted policy
status. 12
All three of these companies make
practicing the Golden Rule an important part of their corporate
philosophy. Is it a mere coincidence
that all three of these companies have also been recognized as the #1 company
to work for in America in Fortune
magazine’s annual listing of “the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America?”
Habitually
practicing the Golden Rule creates and maintains a healthy culture with a family atmosphere. This is true in an actual family, a church
“family,” or a business “family.”
Synovus companies are referred to as
the “Synovus family.” The personnel within the Synovus family of companies are
referred to as “team members” rather than employees. Taking care of the 12,000 people within the Synovus family means
being sure that team members don’t feel a need to separate their job from the
rest of their life. Life should be one
indivisible whole. The centerpiece of
the Synovus culture of the heart is
making sure people know they are cared for, above and beyond the work they
happen to do on the job in daylight hours.
Synovus
and the W. C. Bradley Co. are two separate companies that have similar
cultures. This is because the same family established both of them. In fact, several directors serve on the
boards of both companies. This has been true virtually for the entire existence
of Synovus. A few years ago an employee
at W. C Bradley Co. lost a child, and in a letter of appreciation to the
company for the support she received she wrote, “The beauty of this company is
that when one person cries, everyone tastes the tears.”
Some
writers say that practicing the Golden Rule is not good. Buckingham and
Coffman, authors of First Break All The Rules:
What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently (Simon & Schuster,
1999) say that great managers should ignore
the Golden Rule–“Do unto others as you would have done to you”–and instead
treat your employees as they would
like to be treated. (Schwartz, 2000)
Unfortunately,
there is a widespread misconception of what the Golden Rule actually
teaches. To illustrate, it is not saying that if I like peanuts, then I should give peanuts to others, even if they are allergic to peanuts! That is focusing on a particular personal preference. One must look beyond the specific practice
to the underlying principles! The Golden Rule is not about specific
practices, or imposing your personal
tastes, likes, or dislikes on others.
It is about practicing timeless universal principles that build and
maintain sound human relationships. The
Golden Rule is about treating others by the same
principles that you want to be treated.
The Golden Rule must be practiced
within a principle-centered culture.
The Golden Rule teaches us that the way to treat others should be based
on the very same principles that we
hold dear, such as 
respect, human dignity, kindness,
cooperation, generosity, commitment, discipline, sacrifice, due process,
humility, honesty, fairness, and service.
A culture that is not aligned with these and other principles will be a
culture that is politicized, devoid of genuine service, and probably will
behave unethically under pressure.
These principles serve as a moral compass to guide decision-making. Personal character is irrevocably related to
these timeless principles, and is the starting point to building a culture of
the heart.
Being
principle-centered is not simply an intellectual exercise. Knowing about principles is not the same as
living by them. Knowledge alone does
not change behavior. There must be a
connection made between the head and the heart. Before behavior changes, a desire to change must be present. We must desire to align our hearts to these principles. That is part of heart science. It is simple to comprehend but difficult to do. However, if enough individuals within an
organization do this, the culture will begin to shift toward a culture of the
heart. Companies with a culture of the heart
try to hire new employees that are principle-centered and demonstrate a genuine
attitude of service.
Max
DePree, in his book Leadership Jazz,
says, “Above all, leadership is a position of servanthood. Leadership is
also a posture of debt; it is a forfeiture of rights.”
This is a
critical point. I have encountered some who claim they want to be servant
leaders, yet constantly exercise and guard “their rights” rather than
forfeiting them as a humble servant.
They lack a heart of submission to those they serve. They do not understand you can’t serve both
the master of control and the master
of service! Eventually such a leader
will hold to one master, and despise the other.
I have
watched some, who thought they wanted to be servant leaders, struggle between
these two masters. When they finally
discovered the reality of servant leadership— a forfeiture of rights—some
actually turned and began to despise the concept! They had finally realized
that a servant leader is often treated as a servant!
Max DePree
said it so well:
“Vulnerability is the opposite of
self-expression. Vulnerable leaders
trust in the abilities of others; vulnerable leaders allow the people who
follow them to do their best.”
Managers
who desire predictability through high control crush creativity, initiative,
and commitment. They may talk
participation, but it is only surface deep.
Their real desires ultimately result in producing cynicism within the
culture. When employees genuinely know
that they come first, the result is trust
in the organization and love for
their leaders. Leaders who feel they
are not trusted and loved might do well to examine their own heart and
motives. Is predictability and control
more important to you than the growth of your people?
Max
DePree reminds us, “There is no such thing as safe vulnerability.”
Peter
Block wrote:
"If our organizations are to
survive, the redistribution of purpose, power, and privilege will have to take
place with the involvement and consent of those who in some ways stand to lose the most [emphasis mine],
the managerial class. And this is
basically what choosing service requires."
That is
how you move toward a culture of the heart.
You choose service over self-interest.
Not a patriarchal (parenting) kind of service, where “father knows
best,” but a true servant leadership kind of service. There is a difference! A
true servant leader listens first! He doesn’t
just decide what is best for you. He
doesn’t do it his way. He is governed
by principles and governs by principles. We show respect when we really listen to
others. That is how people in a culture of the heart GROW.
When people talk to one another,
there are often two meanings to what they say.
The first is the meaning of what is actually stated. The second is the metamessage. It is meaning that is not stated—at least
not in words—but is gleaned from every aspect of context: the way
something is said, who is saying it,
or the fact that it is said at all. The
metamessage is the "heart
meaning"—the meaning we react to most strongly, that triggers emotion.
(Tannen, 2001) In a culture of the
heart the message and metamessage should complement, not contradict each
other. There should be no need to “read
the tea leaves” to find out what is really
being said.
A culture
of the heart rewards such open, honest expressions of concern and
questions. Responses to such questions
are also honest and devoid of duplicity.
When people sense duplicity, they are guarded in their communication and
trust evaporates.
Dr. Stephen
Covey says:
“Many executives say they value
capitalism, but they reward feudalism…They say they value openness…but they
behave in ways that value closeness, hidden agendas, and politicking.”
(Covey, 1991)
One other
important characteristic of a culture of the heart needs to be mentioned. A culture of the heart encourages everyone
to keep promises and honor commitments.
Violating commitments when “conditions change” is a major emotional
withdrawal. Heart science requires being very
careful about what we promise, and then making sure we honor all our promises.
If
conditions change, don’t renege on your commitments through the exercise of
positional power. Instead, go to the
person or persons you made your promise to and ask to be released from the promise. Usually they will release you. However, be prepared to honor your promise to your own hurt when necessary. This is what it means to live by the
principle of integrity. In the long run
such actions will build trust. Trust is
essential to a culture of the heart.
Some
argue that all this sounds good, but “this soft stuff really doesn’t
work.” However, the facts prove just
the opposite! The Gallup Organization
has analyzed 25 years’ worth of interviews with more than 1 million
workers. They have concluded that the
single most important variable in employee productivity and loyalty is not pay
or benefits. The single most important
factor is the quality of the relationship
between the employees and their direct supervisors. It turns out the greatest sources of satisfaction in the
workplace are internal and emotional, not financial. (Schwartz, 2000)
People
desire a leader who sets clear and consistent expectations, provides the
necessary resources, genuinely cares for them, values and encourages them, and
supports their growth and development.
As the saying goes, “I don’t care how much you know until I know how
much you care.”
Mother Teresa said, “The greatest
disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved,
and uncared for.” This is as true in
the corridors of big business as it is in the ghettos. (Freiberg, 1996) Companies with a culture of the heart
understand this need and work diligently to meet it. They encourage their management to promote and even celebrate the
success of their employees. Most do it
because it is good business and the
right thing to do! Intelligent business
leaders know there is really no substitute for managing a company with honest
and caring people.
This is
why Robert Greenleaf, the father of modern servant leadership thinking, said
that servant leadership is about making the people around you to grow as persons.
If your
people don’t perceive themselves as growing, are you really serving them? When was the last time you asked them for
frank and honest feedback regarding your contribution to their growth?
A recent
article in ABCNEWS.com’s “Working Wounded” 13 discussed performance
reviews. It compared some performance reviews to having a pit bull sink its
teeth into you! The article said that
it seems like some supervisors grow new teeth just for the purpose of
performance reviews. Other supervisors
may put off reviews because they dread the process.
Synovus
has recognized that it is difficult for most managers and team members to have
a frank and constructive conversation about performance if there is money on
the line. So they have separated the
evaluation process from salary adjustments.
Synovus has redesigned the whole process and named it Right Steps for Performance Development.
14
Performance
reviews in an organization with a culture of the heart should be very different
from traditional reviews. Reviews in a
culture of the heart are seen as a development
tool. Reviews are often held several times a year, not just annually.
Leaders use Right Steps meetings at Synovus to determine (1) what the team
member enjoys, (2) what he/she wants to do in the future, and (3) what the
company needs him/her to do. The
company then tries to place each team member in a position where the team
member can fulfill all three. They
understand that satisfied team members are those whose jobs fulfill each of
these criteria. The manager uses the
performance review to help the team
member identify future growth options
and build a career plan. The focus is
on the growth of people, not sitting
in judgment of people.
The bottom line is that companies
with a principle-centered culture of the
heart have lower turnover, are more productive, and maintain higher
customer loyalty than those who don’t.
According
to BusinessWeek, TSYS, a payment
services company in which Synovus owns an 80.8-percent stake, recently ranked
the 75th best overall performer among “The 100 Best Small
Companies,” and 10th within the banking industry group. Synovus also ranked #5 among 128 companies
researched in Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.’s annual Honor Roll, which
recognizes those banking companies that have continually reported increases in
earnings per share—regardless of the banking environment—over the last
decade. Only 13 have posted a 10-year
record worthy of admission to the Honor Roll!
Synovus
was also recently named in Working Mother
magazine's 15th annual survey as one of the "100 Best Companies for
Working Mothers." They received the
top score in the category of "Flexibility" afforded to working moms,
and additional high marks in the categories of "Leave for New
Parents," "Work/Life" and "Advancing Women."
Synovus
and its family of companies recently ranked 23rd in Training magazine’s annual survey of the
"Top 50 Training Organizations."
They have also been named 10th in the most recent edition of The 100 Best Stocks to Own in America.
These
results demonstrate that practicing the Golden Rule and having a culture of the heart is not only a “good
idea”, but is also very sound business!
Edwin
Markham said: “We have committed the Golden Rule to memory; let us now commit
it to life.”
Jack
Welch, CEO of GE, one of the most admired companies in the world, knows what he
is talking about when he says, “Business isn’t rocket science.” The Golden
Rule is not rocket science, and
creating and sustaining a culture of the heart is not rocket science. It is easy to understand, but hard to practice. It takes considerable strength of character! This is heart
science!
Comments
to:
jhb001@juno.com
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Biography:
Dr. J. Howard Baker is Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems
at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Dr. Baker has been a Franklin Covey 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
certified facilitator for eight years, and has served the University of Texas at
Tyler as their facilitator for four years. During the summer he offers a
graduate and undergraduate course at U. T. Tyler in personal and organizational
leadership. He holds a B.S. in
Management from Samford University, a Master of Accounting (MAcc) from the
University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the
University of Texas at Arlington.
Internet References:
1.
(www.homerhickam.com/rocket.htm)
2.
(www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/05/03/fp2s1-csm.shtml)
3.
(www.filegate.gov)
4.
(www.editorialnetwork.com/archive/congress/06_01_1_1.html)
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(www.ge.com/news/welch/index.htm)
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Ribitzky, Romy. “Congrats Grads, Now What?” abcNEWS.com. June 12, 2001. (more.abcnews.go.com/sections/business/dailynews/commencement_advice_010512.html)
7. (www.fortune.com)
8. (www.southwest.com)
9. (www.synovus.com)
10. (www.thecontainerstore.com)
11.
(www.synovus.com/about/vision.cfm)
12.
Roth, Daniel. “My Job At The Container Store” Fortune.com. January 10, 2000.
(www.fortune.com/indexw.jhtml?co_id=359&doc_id=201104&channel=artcol.jhtml&_DARGS=%2Ffragments%2Ffrg_top_story_body.jhtml.1_A&_DAV=artcol.jhtml)
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Rosner, Bob. “Sitting in Judgment: Grading Employees' Performance”. AbcNEWS.com:
Working Wounded. June 25, 2001.
(abcnews.go.com/sections/business/WorkingWounded/workingwounded010622.html)
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(http://www.synovus.com/investors/annual1999/personally_developing.cfm)
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