As you sow, so shall you reap

Just as farmers are charged with caring for the land to pass on to the next generation, so must senior executives care for their companies. This involves more than just securing orders and profits; it also means ensuring junior executives have the necessary values instilled in them to assure the succession of the company into the future. Yet the business world is replete with stories of companies that simply withered and died after the death of the chief executive.

Senior executives who choose to disregard shoddy treatment of their managers are making a conscious decision to place the company in jeopardy. Whether your company is operated as a democracy, a benevolent dictatorship or a firm autocracy, the manner in which you treat your employees IS important.

If you want your employees to give 100 percent to the business, then you must give them 100 percent support, ensuring they have the tools needed to get the job done right, within budget and within schedule. If you elect not to do this, you are choosing to flush additional profits down the commode -- profits that could have been achieved without any additional expense through leader-inspired productivity increases.

Permit me to share a true story with you that best illustrates the downside of this dictum. It was told to me by an executive who lived it. His name was Sam, and he was employed by a Southeastern Fortune 500 company.

A decade ago, a senior executive with this company was known for his periodic blow-ups. Sam, an up-and-coming manager with the company, joined the senior executive's division and was also subjected to his frequent -- and usually unwarranted -- outbursts.

Sam performed well and was given lead responsibility on an important new program. Then the executive overheard a false rumor that Sam's program was in trouble. The executive burst into a program review meeting, angrily berated Sam for losing control of the program, and then stormed out. Sam continued to lead the program to a successful (and highly profitable) conclusion for the division.

After completing this program, Sam took his rising star and transferred to another division within the corporation. He continued to achieve stellar results and was promoted to the position of director.

Several years later, the performance of the senior executive's division had reached a plateau. He realized he needed a visionary director to put his division back on the fast track. He called Sam and invited him to visit his old division.

Over dinner, the senior executive shared his belief that the division needed a dramatic breakthrough. He asserted an exceptional director was needed to make it happen. He told Sam he wanted him to be that director.

An awkward silence followed. Finally, Sam looked the aging executive squarely in the eyes and said, "I'm sorry. Although it is a unique opportunity, I must turn you down."

The elder executive shook his head and implored, "Why would you pass up such an opportunity?"

Sam replied, "Because I don't respect you."

The senior executive, assuming his past tirades led to Sam's refusal, entreated Sam, "Are you angry because I blew up in the past, and I may have been wrong?"

"No," Sam responded. "Work can be a pressure-cooker, and all of us blow up occasionally."

"What is it, then?" the senior executive pleaded.

"It's because, after all the humiliation, when you WERE wrong, you were never decent enough to come to me and apologize."

Regardless of your management style, treat your staff with respect and they will move mountains for you. Treat them merely as a means to achieve your personal success, and you can kiss productivity -- and your top performers -- goodbye.

Scott A. Clark welcomes your comments and contributions. You may send him your ideas for column topics by e-mail at mail

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