CREATING HIGH-COMMITMENT ORGANIZATIONS 311World - class leaders in successful global corporations go to great lengths
to create congruence between these personal needs and the fundamental
purpose of the organization. Let ’ s look at each of these meta - values in
more detail.
Community
Knowing that true teamwork is extremely diffi cult to achieve without
trust, excellent leaders put a high priority on establishing trust in
their organizations. Toward that end, such leaders are very accessible
and don ’ t misuse the power of their position. Nor do they practice
mushroom treatment (keeping people in the dark); on the contrary,
they keep their people fully informed. They run very transparent
organizations. Because they are interested in creating a cohesive com-
munity, they also strive to make the entry of new people into the
organization a good experience.
In one of my interviews, John Stewart, the former group CEO of
the National Australian Bank, talked about how important a cross -
border blend of trust and learning is in a global organization. It is worth
noting here that many of the more effective leaders possess a ‘ teddy bear ’
quality; they have a special knack for containing employees ’ anxieties
during periods of change. It is rare to fi nd someone as people - oriented
as John Stewart, who knows how to get the best out of people. Such
exemplary executives genuinely care about their people; they take the
time to listen to them and help them fi nd solutions when they have
personal problems. In this way and many others, such leaders set a good
example of what leadership is all about: they are encouraging, they give
constructive feedback directly (when such feedback is needed), and they
create a safe, positive environment for change. These people have a great
ability to motivate others.
Pleasure
In the more effective companies, employees seem to enjoy themselves.
Some organizations have found that an atmosphere not just of enjoyment
but of controlled exuberance can be highly motivating. Richard Branson
tries hard to lead by example in this: he strives to take his people on an
exciting journey peppered with fun, thereby gratifying their need for
exploration and assertion. He said in one interview with me: