Welcoming change:  Are your people ready?

By ExecutiveBrief Staff

The former CEO of Southwest, Herb Kelleher, was known for his accessibility, trying to know each employee by name. By being accessible, managers can talk with employees, and in turn, air their concerns. There is a commitment to allow employees at all levels to be open to management. Moreover, with this transparency, managers can easily talk about new measures that will match current company directives.

This may just fall into the wayside though if this is not placed within a context of a vision. Lacking one, managers may just very well be moving in circles. Looking at what happened to Northwest, by being unable to place a context of “building a global alliance network with the best people and exceeding customers’ expectations each day” on how they work, they didn’t align their actions to achieve such results. There is no structure to move the company forward. Adhering to a vision allows managers to properly utilize the competencies of their subordinates.

Furthermore, a vision is made palpable by developing a set of strategies. This includes having open discussions, organizing tasks, developing performance parameters and undertaking competence evaluations. By pursuing a set of actions and taking initiative, managers can deal with any change that the organization may face whether it be increasing oil prices or changes in travel patterns of customers.

Lastly, empowerment sets apart the proactive manager from the rest. Without it, all other skills will just be for nothing. Spreading power to the whole organization strengthens resilience and paves way for extraordinary results. It provides the avenue for creativity and innovation. Looking at Southwest, by empowering and encouraging employees, they have created a culture where fun and discipline go hand in hand. When employees love their work, they become more productive, infuse energy into the organization, handle uncertain events with ease as they coordinate with management and suggest directions to take.

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