Thursday, August 9, 2007 at 2:02am
Following the heart
Column: Executive Soul
Ken Melrose paid attention to his heart when he was transferred in 1973 from his job as marketing manager at Toro headquarters in Minneapolis to Michigan to head up the newly acquired playground equipment company Game Time. Encountering a dependent workforce, he discovered that employees expected the president to tell them what to do in every decision.
As Melrose relates in his book "Making the Grass Greener on Your Side," while the former president had worked his way up through the ranks and knew everything about the company, Melrose was a neophyte in the playground equipment business. He knew about marketing lawnmowers, not manufacturing playground equipment. Furthermore, Melrose, a 32-year-old, Ivy League-educated manager, found himself out of place culturally in the small farming community in which Game Time resided.
While he might have been tempted to try to learn everything about the business quickly and assume the role of decision-maker in all decisions, his heart told him the company needed something different. Not only would he be overreaching his competence, but also the employees would not well served by a leader who assumed all the responsibility. Melrose paid attention as his heart led him down a new path.
Accustomed to being told what to do, Game Time employees came to Ken Melrose with every decision. When the purchasing manager asked how much steel to order, Ken took the first step and said, "I don't know." Shocked, the purchasing manager pleaded, "But [the previous president] always told me how much to order." Ken could have given in to the pressure to conform to the company culture. He could have learned what he needed to know to tell the warehouse manager how much steel to order. But he didn't. Instead, he saw the moment as an opportunity for the Game Time employees to take the first step away toward being an empowered workforce.
He explained to the warehouse manager: "I don't know how much steel to order. I've never done this before. But I do know a few questions to ask. Together, we can answer the question." As he led the warehouse manager through reflecting on how much steel he ordered last year, how much was still in the warehouse, how much was needed to make a merry-go-round, how many orders had come in for merry-go-rounds, how many merry-go-rounds had sold last year, and similar questions, Ken helped him make his own decision. Ken had taken the first step.
Like toddlers learning to walk, leaders who take the first step inevitably stumble. Ken Melrose stumbled at Game Time as he made mistakes and learned, along with the employees. He modeled what he was teaching, that mistakes are necessary for learning, and that, as long as learning occurs, mistakes are to be applauded, not punished. Employees practiced what Ken modeled, made mistakes, and grew in their ability to take responsibility.
By the end of three years, Game Time employees were empowered and had taken over most of the responsibilities in the company. Morale was high, employees took pride in carrying the responsibility they carried, and the company was thriving. By following his heart, Ken Melrose had transformed the culture and created a high-performance business.
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Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations," works with leaders in business, healthcare and non-profits to help them develop spiritual leadership. Visit her website at www.ExecutiveSoul.com. © Copyright 2007 by Margaret Benefiel.
As Melrose relates in his book "Making the Grass Greener on Your Side," while the former president had worked his way up through the ranks and knew everything about the company, Melrose was a neophyte in the playground equipment business. He knew about marketing lawnmowers, not manufacturing playground equipment. Furthermore, Melrose, a 32-year-old, Ivy League-educated manager, found himself out of place culturally in the small farming community in which Game Time resided.
While he might have been tempted to try to learn everything about the business quickly and assume the role of decision-maker in all decisions, his heart told him the company needed something different. Not only would he be overreaching his competence, but also the employees would not well served by a leader who assumed all the responsibility. Melrose paid attention as his heart led him down a new path.
Accustomed to being told what to do, Game Time employees came to Ken Melrose with every decision. When the purchasing manager asked how much steel to order, Ken took the first step and said, "I don't know." Shocked, the purchasing manager pleaded, "But [the previous president] always told me how much to order." Ken could have given in to the pressure to conform to the company culture. He could have learned what he needed to know to tell the warehouse manager how much steel to order. But he didn't. Instead, he saw the moment as an opportunity for the Game Time employees to take the first step away toward being an empowered workforce.
He explained to the warehouse manager: "I don't know how much steel to order. I've never done this before. But I do know a few questions to ask. Together, we can answer the question." As he led the warehouse manager through reflecting on how much steel he ordered last year, how much was still in the warehouse, how much was needed to make a merry-go-round, how many orders had come in for merry-go-rounds, how many merry-go-rounds had sold last year, and similar questions, Ken helped him make his own decision. Ken had taken the first step.
Like toddlers learning to walk, leaders who take the first step inevitably stumble. Ken Melrose stumbled at Game Time as he made mistakes and learned, along with the employees. He modeled what he was teaching, that mistakes are necessary for learning, and that, as long as learning occurs, mistakes are to be applauded, not punished. Employees practiced what Ken modeled, made mistakes, and grew in their ability to take responsibility.
By the end of three years, Game Time employees were empowered and had taken over most of the responsibilities in the company. Morale was high, employees took pride in carrying the responsibility they carried, and the company was thriving. By following his heart, Ken Melrose had transformed the culture and created a high-performance business.
— — —
Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations," works with leaders in business, healthcare and non-profits to help them develop spiritual leadership. Visit her website at www.ExecutiveSoul.com. © Copyright 2007 by Margaret Benefiel.