In times like these…

Posted On: January 15th, 2009

We are in for an interesting ride in the Canadian and world market. Just open any newspaper and you get assaulted with grim foretelling of our economic, trade, and labour future. So, what is a business leader to do to get beyond survival and actually thrive in the coming months and, possibly, years?

No question, having a game plan for business growth is essential. Every leader needs to have their organization behind a solid plan for building sales, strengthening administration and operations and ramping up customer service a notch. Having clear direction gives people on your team confidence and focuses energy. But, what about delivering on real, daily leadership success?

In 18 years, working with hundreds of high performing organizations and leaders of all stripes, I have learnt that it is the small things that we do that makes the biggest difference. Paying attention to people and their needs, keeping promises, staying focused and catching staff doing good work all will pay huge dividends. You staff will love you, your customers will get great service and you will create the kind of climate new staff are looking for.

It’s almost counter intuitive: when we pay attention to the small details of relationships, our work, our customers, and our health, we always get the big payoff we desire.

Westjet has built a legacy of extraordinary customer service over its 12 year rein of low-cost airline service. And this remarkable Calgary based company continues to win awards for how they treat their staff and their customers. Last year, based on a survey of over 500 Canadian CEO’s, they were again awarded the title of “Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Culture” by Waterstone Human Capital. As a company they continue to impress me with their focus on the small stuff.

In the week leading up to Christmas, Westjet again proved that the small stuff is what counts. During some of the worst, continual snow storms to hit Canadian cities, roads and airports, Westjet shelled out some $2 million for meal vouchers, accommodation and transfers for customers that were stranded at airports waiting for their flights – even though they had no obligation to do so! They also sent each of their 6,300 employees a travel credit to recognize their extra effort given in over the holiday mayhem.

Ken McKenzie, WestJet’s Executive Vice-President, Operations, commented, “This week was WestJet’s finest hour, despite the delays and cancellations. We provided for our guests in their time of need and truly demonstrated WestJet’s caring attitude. This was an unprecedented situation and we responded in an unprecedented way.”

In the words of author and radio personality Pau Harvey, “In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these.” There will always be unforeseen disasters, up economies and down economies, and changes in market conditions. And there will always be leaders that maintain a focus on the small stuff: taking care of people, keeping promises and attending to the details that people notice. And those leaders will always enjoy long-term success.

What is the small stuff for you?