Page 126 - The New Gold Standard

PRINCIPLE 2: EMPOWER THROUGH TRUST
demonstrate a frank leadership style? Will you take the time to
get to know me and go beyond preventing my disengagement
but instead chase my strengths because the strengths of a team
will offset our individual weaknesses?’ We can make leadership
so complicated, but really it comes down to whether we are earn-
ing the trust of our people or are simply asking for their compli-
ance as a result of our ascribed authority.” Erwin’s point clearly
distinguishes between a leadership strategy of influence and one
based on control.
Ed Mady, vice president and area general manager of The
Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, shares his perspective that the abil-
ity to earn trust is a universally consistent process, whether it is
from leader to frontline worker or from frontline worker to cus-
tomer. “People are trusted more when they let others know that
the other person matters. Trust emerges when we are remem-
bered and greeted by name, and when our needs are met in a
timely fashion.” Ed relates, “I was at a fund-raising function for
a job training program for homeless people. The program picked
up the homeless from the streets and put them into hospitality
courses to learn how to work in hotels such as ours. That evening,
a woman who had completed the program was asked to speak
to about 150 of us at the reception. In the course of her remarks,
she said, ‘Being homeless and on the streets is a very, very diffi-
cult thing. I’m so grateful to this organization and how I was
able to come to have this job working in the kitchen. I’m learn-
ing how to cook. But the thing for which I am most grateful
is that people now call me by my name. Because when you’re
homeless, nobody knows your name.’” From Ed’s vantage point,
trust begins with taking the time to know the names of those
who work for and with you and extending your interest to dis-
cussions about concerns that are closest to their hearts.
Beyond leaders recognizing and taking an interest in their
staff, trust is earned by providing staff members with the tools
they need to perform their respective jobs. Maurice Pearson,
assistant director of housekeeping, began his career at Ritz-

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