Page 259 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

240 The Disney Way

partners understand how their management styles impact our people,” says
Jim Freer, vice chair of people in the United States. 89
Ernst & Young recently created the position “director of partner matters”
and placed Mike Ritter, a highly respected senior partner, in the role. “Mike
Ritter will wake up every day thinking about partner stress and what we can
do to impact it positively,” says Freer.
“People First” is no longer a program at E & Y—it has become a way of
life that is imbedded into the very DNA of its culture. Every new employee
at Ernst & Young knows that the “People First” philosophy is important
and will still be important when they become partners. Making people para-
mount in all decisions is as much a part of life at Ernst & Young as is running
a trial balance for an audit.

Believe

At Ernst & Young, shared values guide actions and behaviors. Not only do
these shared values influence the way employees interact with their coworkers,
they also guide the way employees serve their clients and engage with other
stakeholders. The Ernst & Young Global Code of Contact provides a solid
ethical framework for business conduct. Employees are expected to base their
decisions and their actions, both as individuals and as members of the global
team, on the Code. In fact, full compliance and commitment to the Code is
mandatory, and employees must sign a declaration to this effect. This credo
underscores who they are and what they stand for:

■ People who demonstrate integrity, respect, and teaming
■ People with energy, enthusiasm, and the courage to lead
■ People who build relationships based on doing the right thing

Dare

Changing a culture that had survived for 100 years was quite a risk for Jim
Turley, but perhaps not as big a risk as announcing to the world that at E &
Y, people come first. According to Jim Freer, “We’ve always recognized that
people are our most important asset. It’s their talent and skills that make us
who we are.” Bill worked for Ernst before the new philosophy was instituted.
At that time, there was no such thing as a “bad client.” If the engagement was
not profitable, teams looked for ways to increase the scope and, hopefully, the
profitability. They did not seek out clients who were in illegal or unethical