Do the right thing
Because of scandals like Enron, whereleaders were making self-serving choices,Daniels understands employees may comeinto the workplace with a certain level ofcynicism. That’s why she puts such anemphasis on leading with integrity. Youhave to be upfront and honest with peopleand follow through on what you say you’regoing to do.
That’s why integrity is at the top ofDaniels’ list of characteristics a leadershould possess. Not only do you need topossess it, but you also have to remember your integrity will be challenged. Youmay even question your own integrity atsome point.
Daniels ran into that exact situation whenshe first started managing the revenue sideof a business as a general manager in 1996.
“We had a salesperson who was a tremendous producer — had done a very good jobfor the organization — but was the mostabusive person to support staff in theorganization,” she says. “And it was socounter to everything that our organizationbelieved in. I struggled with my own personal integrity about how to do thatbecause I knew that we ran the risk, if I lether go, that we wouldn’t make our numbers that year. If I kept her, I was sending avery strong message about what was reallyimportant in our organization. So, I didquestion my own integrity. For the firsttime, I realized that I needed to think aboutmaking the decision not just for the longhaul but the short haul in terms of revenueand everything else.”
Putting the bottom line aside, Danielsused the same thought process then thatshe uses now.
She made commitments to the owners ofthe company that she would help theorganization make a certain revenue number, and firing the problem employee mighthave a negative effect on the bottom line.On the flip side, she knew that letting theemployee go sooner rather than laterwould benefit the business in the long haulbecause of the positive cultural impact theaction would have.
When faced with a decision like this one,it’s important to look at the situation andpretend that revenue isn’t an issue, whichDaniels did. She also factored revenue intothe equation, writing out the pros and consfor each situation, and then read them overagain like you would a tough e-mail youhave to send.
Finally, Daniels talked to people outsidethe company whom she trusted.
She took about three months thinking itthrough and collecting information beforeshe decided to fire the employee.
“Ironically, and I had no way of knowing it at the time, it ended up being thebest year we ever had, and we made itfine without her,” she says. “But, I wouldhave never known that going into it. Itwas a nice reinforcement because I hadto make other choices like that that didn’t always pay off that quickly as that onedid.”
It also helped Daniels come to a realization about leadership.
“As a leader, you make decisions,” shesays. “By not making a decision, you aremaking a decision. If I had not made a decision, it was basically saying that if you area top performer in the revenue side of ourbusiness, it’s OK to be abusive to other people in other parts of the organization. Thatcan’t be the case.”
