Think Like a Steward, Perform Like a Patriot
Political correctness - at least the contorted, silly version - is not high on my list of obligatory behaviors. I've certainly never deliberately used language likely to offend or disrespect, but I generally refuse to participate in society's love affair with euphemisms.
For me, a garbage collector is a garbage collector, not a sanitation engineer. Collecting garbage may not be glamorous, but its a necessary and honorable occupation. If my garbage collector went on strike Id miss him a lot sooner than Id miss a sportscaster or politician who walked out on the job. But theres at least one verbal adjustment that I gladly make. In describing someones employee or assistant, I no longer use the term subordinate.
Oh, the word subordinate certainly doesnt have the negative history of words with racist or sexist overtones. But it does have a discriminatory nuance or two. For some people, the word subordinate smacks of inferiority or subservience. They believe the term implies that the leader is superior and the subordinate is, well, inferior. So to avoid the linguistic discomfort, I often use the term direct report because it helps clarify the relationship without suggesting lowliness or inadequacy.
Technically speaking, of course, everyone is a subordinate. Even the CEO is subordinate to the board of directors and the shareholders. (Some CEOs dont act that way, but its still true.)
In typical hierarchical organizations, though, the term subordinate is troublesome in other ways. The subordinate paradigm breeds passivity, not proactivity.
See if you recognize some of the subordinate paradigms telltale expressions:
I only work here.
Youll have to ask someone else.
Thats against our policy.
My supervisor wont let me do that.
Management made that decision.
Im not authorized to do this.
As long as people think of themselves as subordinates, their decisions and actions are governed by someone elses approval, policies, and habits. But absentee leadership is no leadership at all.
My colleague Dave Hanna tells a story that illustrates the sometimes sad results of the subordinate paradigm.
Dave was sitting in a rental car shuttle late one day at the Kansas City Airport. Just as the van was about to depart for the airline terminals a man ran up, huffing and puffing, and pounded on the door. The driver opened the door and the man boarded, looking desperate. Thanks so much, he said to the driver. Ive been stuck on the interstate for the past hour because of an accident. My plane is scheduled to leave in seven minutes. Can you get me to the gate in time to catch it?
What airline are you on, sir? the driver asked.
United.
Oh, thats in terminal C, sir. We have to stop at A and B before we go to C.
Please! This is the last flight to my home tonight! the man pleaded.
At this point Dave and the one other passenger in the van glanced at one another and answered the passengers unspoken question. Maam, its okay with us if you take this gentleman to his terminal first. Our flights are later.
The driver replied firmly, Im sorry, sir, but our management sent out a bulletin stressing that under no circumstances are we to deviate from going to A, then B, then C in that exact order. So the van dutifully stopped at terminal A, then at B, then finally headed for C. This is an example of mindless compliance.
Where safety and other critical issues are at stake, compliance is of course very important. But in many instances, absolute, undeviating compliance is little more than a cop out a handy excuse for not stretching to provide good service.
The steward paradigm is a much more productive mind-set. While the subordinates paradigm is I just work here, Im really not in charge, the stewards paradigm is I own this job. My role is to help others in every reasonable way.
Dave illustrates with another story, this one also involving a shuttle van. He and three colleagues arrived in Houston at 2 a.m., bone-weary and eager to get to their rental car. Getting no response on the telephone hot line in the terminal, they walked outside to see if the shuttles were still running. They were. But after waiting long enough for other rental car shuttles to pass by twice, their shuttle failed to appear.
Finally, Dave approached the Avis van driver and asked, Is (Company X) still open? Yes, the Avis driver replied. I saw people in their office as I came over. Then, recognizing the plight of these non-customers, the Avis driver offered to drop Dave and his friends off at his competitors gate.
The focus of subordination is about taking orders and unwavering compliance with policy. The focus of stewardship is about earning and maintaining trust and proactively looking for ways to serve. Subordinates tend to operate from a have to mentality. Stewards tend to operate from a want to mentality.
In an atmosphere of stewardship, something wonderful emerges: discretionary excellence. Discretionary excellence comes when people do the right and reasonable thing even when nobody is watching.
As Dave Hanna points out, the steward paradigm is the antidote for the lack of faith in todays institutions. It elevates our thinking from the details of the moment and keeps our focus on maintaining our stakeholders trust.
If (when) situations arise that were not foreseen when policies and procedures were defined, the steward paradigm enables us to adapt to fulfill our mission, to serve the customer, to cut costs, to eliminate bottlenecks, and to do the myriad of other things so critical to robust performance. Its been said that the difference between a politician and a patriot is that a politician looks ahead to the next election while a patriot looks ahead to the next generation.
So it is with those of us who work in organizations. We must see ourselves not as someones subordinate, but as stewards serving the needs of others today and beyond.
Dr. Rodger Dean Duncan is founder and president of The Duncan Company, specializing in organizational effectiveness and leadership development since 1972. His client roster ranges from American Airlines, IBM, Consolidated Edison, and Sprint, to Black & Veatch Engineering, eBay, Federal Reserve Bank, and presidential cabinet officers in two White House administrations. In addition to his consulting practice, Dr. Duncan headed worldwide communication for Campbell Soup Company and was vice president of Kerr-McGee, a global energy company. The Duncan Company, now headquartered in the Kansas City, Missouri, metropolitan area, has affiliates in North America, Europe, and Australia. Top-selling author Stephen Covey calls Dr. Duncans work on leadership "brilliantly insightful, inspiring profound, yet user friendly visionary, yet practical." Duncan earned a Ph.D. in communication and organizational dynamics at Purdue University. For more information, click on http://www.DuncanWorldwide.com To subscribe free: http://www.duncanworldwide.com/report.asp
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