Proud....#3

I read my case study this night…..it is about Virgin Company….and it is GREAT !!!!! It give me another perspective regarding what make employee proud of their company they worked for. The issue that I start to think about since these past few weeks…

 

It start with their boss (Richard Branson) thoughts and acts :

-          He done so many things, spend so many time just to find small things that will make his employees’ jobs more pleasant. Even a little suggestion like “the blouse is too thin” or “the shoes are uncomfortable”

-          He write to his employee every couple of months. In the last paragraph he wrote “if you have any ideas or suggestions, this is my home address, please write”…..isn’t great? A chairman write a letter for each of his employees, how much a moral boost that could be produced from that acts? Enormous I think J

-          Once a year he make a party where everybody gets together. Not just an ordinary party, it’s being held in his house in the country side. It’s last six days since 70.000 employees come to his place. And he try as hard as he can to shake everybody hands and mingled with them. Whoa….what a great leader he is.

-          He make sure he read any letter from staff member by himself. Not only that, he try as hard as he could to fulfill their request. His philosophy is to look for the best in people, give them the benefit of the doubt and you get the best in return. If you give people a lot of trust and praise, people give their all back. A philosophy that has slowly fade away in my company? So sad to realize that….

-          “My people first, customers second and shareholder third”…………..dream company ?

 

He manages to do this by making his companies (Virgin is a multi companies – it has so many brand) small enough to keep entepreneurial culture alive. He make that every single person in his company is proud to say that “I worked in Virgin”. He listen to everyone, make them comfortable, do so many things just to make them proud of their company. Every single person in his company feel that their company is the best in their particular field. He knows exactly that there are other people out there in other companies that are just as good as his people, it’s just they’re not as proud as his employee. For his key executives he make a special profit share schemes. He said “Never begrudge people; never begrudge writing out a cheque for 75m pound to one person – once that person has made us 500m pound”

 

What is the point here? I think it’s all about strong vision, will and efforts to make a great place to work. Not just words, but also great attempt and money.

 

You should read it more in it’s articles….but things that pop up in my mind are :

-          Do you willing to sacrifice anything … I mean anything … to make your employee happy and proud? This is our tasks as a leader, as a manager, as an “owner” of your company. We work for our company, so be proud of it, and make your sub-ordinates proud to become a member of this company by becoming your sub-ordinates. Not just because you’re smart, not just because you’re his/her manager, but more than that is because you are care for them.

-          Create a small, unique, positives things that make your employee proud to you, to your department, to your division and especially proud to your company as a whole. I try this a long time ago (when I wrote this I thought that I need to repeat it again sometimes). I go camping, I play soccer, I go to their home when “Hari Raya” comes, I go out and eat with them when one of them is having his birthday, etc. I learn them, sometimes copy them, but it works.

-          We are a manager so behave like it. And we are a leader, so make your sub-ordinates follow you with all their heart. Sun Tzu said that “A great leader is the one that make his sub-ordinates died with a happy smile in his face”

-          Proud to yourself, proud to your sub-ordinates, proud to your manager, proud to your department, proud to your division, proud to your company…than you shall bring massive change to your environment.

 

Long way to go for me, it is definitely not easy, it is definitely need a lot of hard work and time….but I know that I will never hesitate make my sub-ordinates proud of what they did for this company, it is the company that they will love….