Get commitment
Some leaders head into acquisitions with the ax raised to cut subpar people, processes and programs. Stevens put the weapon down to focus on bringing those things together for better results — even announcing no jobs would be cut.
Instead of worrying which idea was best, she empowered employees to decide for themselves.
“It’s really important that there are certain guidelines and standards that we have across the entire footprint of the organization,” she says. “So you have to make sure that you have the right principles and visions and values in place. But you have to let people locally be able to run their locations.”
Maybe it makes sense to have a customer greeter at a busy store in San Francisco. But that might not work at a low-transaction location. You don’t always know, so you have to rely on feedback from people on the front line — that is, the employees who will be affected by the change.
“The ivory tower can make a lot of decisions about what they think is right,” Stevens says. “But unless you get down into the trenches and you’re with the people, you’re never really going to know what they need and they’re never going to tell you because they’re going to think you just want to hear what you want to hear versus telling you the truth.”
Only after you get affirmative feedback should you implement changes. Even then, it’s sometimes trial and error.
“You need to be able to test and learn,” Stevens says. “You need to be able to try something that you’ve never tried before and see if it works.”
She uses control groups. If Wachovia had a great method for delivering customer service, she’d try it in a small district of 20 stores to see if the process would work as successfully for Wells Fargo. During the trial, whoever suggested the idea can serve as a coach to help work out kinks.
The final step is crucial.
“You have to be able to balance diversity of opinion and great debate with, ‘OK, now we’ve got to come up with a plan and we’ve got to all commit to it,’” Stevens says.
When you engage employees throughout the process, that commitment comes fairly naturally. You just have to make sure it’s there.
“It’s a lot easier for people to commit to something when they know they’ve been part of the discussion,” she says. “So even if I don’t get my way, I know I was heard and I know I probably had some influence on what the final decision is.”
Stevens continues to hold employees accountable with constant reminders of how far they’ve come and where they’re headed next. By exalting the importance of opinion-sharing and constant communication along the way, she keeps the stagecoach rolling smoothly.
“It’s been quick for us to come together and to help each other be successful — faster than I think anyone ever expected,” she says. “I am convinced that we do not need consultants to help our organization to be more successful; we just need to look to one another, to the different things that are working throughout the organization because there’s just so many great ideas out there.”
How to reach: Wells Fargo & Co., (213) 253-7777 or www.wellsfargo.com
