Just How Far Would You Go for Your Employees?
In December 1978, two Electronic Data Systems (EDS) senior-level employees in Iran were arrested. EDS, a computer software company owned by Ross Perot, was caught in the mess of the Iranian Revolution. Even though they had done nothing wrong, their bail was set in the millions of dollars, and no one, including the U.S. government, appeared willing or able to free them. There was no way Ross Perot was going to accept this, so he took action and put together a plan of his own. The story is told in detail in Ken Follett’s book On Wings of Eagles. The plan included recruiting a hero from the Vietnam War and a select group of volunteers from EDS who had former military experience. Even in the midst of a revolution, Ross himself flew into Iran. Ross was willing to risk his money, his freedom, and even his life because that is how much he valued his employees. To say the story of how this rescue unfolded was remarkable does not do it justice. As I read, I kept thinking, “this has got to be fiction!” But it wasn’t. And it made me consider – how far would I go for my employees? Here are four ways a leader or owner can demonstrate their support for their team.
1. Risking your reputation for others.
Some leaders treat inexperienced employees and those who are under scrutiny for mistakes as though they are carriers of a deadly virus. In other words, they socially distance themselves, withholding their public support and affirmation. They play it very, very safe. However, other leaders do the exact opposite. They risk their reputation for the benefit of others. In the EDS story, Ross Perot was willing to jeopardize both his reputation and his freedom by entering Iran and taking some of the actions that he did. Yet, it seemed like he never doubted doing it because he believed it was the right thing to do.
2. Demonstrating courage rather than retreat.
In one of many famous episodes of Seinfeld, George Costanza (played by Jason Alexander) is at a children’s birthday party as a guest of his girlfriend. George smells smoke coming from the kitchen and yells, “Fire!” However, instead of running towards the “fire” to help the children escape, he runs for the front door, pushing aside children, his girlfriend, his girlfriend’s mother, and a disabled person, all to save himself from a fire so small the guest clown put it out with his shoe! When something goes wrong in your organization, which way do you run? Do you run towards the problem like Ross Perot or away from it like George Costanza? For some leaders, the only correct answer is to never abandon their employees and always model courage under pressure.
3. Sacrificing your money.
Do you remember hearing the phrase, “Put your money where your mouth is!”? A different way of saying this is reflected in the words of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew: If you follow the money, it will always show you the heart of the person (my paraphrase). This phrase is taken literally by many leaders and business owners. During a conversation with a highly successful, humble, and generous business owner, he told me how much he values his employees and, therefore, how he creates opportunities for them to own part of the business. He could take other actions that would be more financially beneficial to him, but he is confident that this is the right thing to do. While you could say he is sacrificing some of his gains, in reality, he feels that he is investing those gains in people who are worth it. In other words, his heart is with his people. Although the context is very different, Ross Perot sacrificed (invested) millions of dollars into his two employees – and his care for them was never doubted.
4. Risking by what you delegate.
Delegation is when a person who has authority gives that authority to someone else to act on their behalf. For example, a country’s president can delegate authority to a representative to negotiate on their behalf, and an owner can grant authority and responsibility to an employee to make decisions and execute plans on their behalf. You can tell that serious delegation is happening when the risks are high if things go wrong. If a leader delegates and feels a sense of angst or fear, that is a definite sign that they have delegated something of great importance. In the story of Ross Perot and Iran, Ross placed an enormous amount of responsibility and authority in the hands of a small group of employees and one non-employee – a Vietnam War hero named Colonel Arthur D. “Bull” Simons. Much of the plan’s success or failure rested on the decisions made by this one man. That is a powerful picture of delegation.
Every owner or leader should periodically ask themselves, “How far am I willing to go for my employees?” And then they should consider how they can demonstrate that support to their team.
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Jay Desko is the President & CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.
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