Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/124472
Finding Common Ground In 2007, Richard Anderson accepted the CEO job at Delta Air Lines shortly after the airline's exit from bankruptcy. Though he'd held top management jobs at two other airlines and had recently joined Delta's board, he was a virtual unknown to Delta's unionized and nonunionized employees. Lee Moak, chairman of the pilots union, could not have been more suspicious of Anderson or more vocal with his doubts. He recalled that just two years before Anderson became CEO "the relationship between the company and the union had degenerated to no relationship." Yet the two men needed to find common ground in a hurry, because the company couldn't operate without its pilots and the pilots couldn't fly without a solvent airline. They needed each other to survive. Both men made the choice to look at their situation as an opportunity, not a problem. They also decided to focus on the 95 percent of issues they agreed on; they wouldn't let their relationship be defined by the 5 percent they disagreed on. As they listened to each other's hopes and ideas, they discovered what Moak described as "a common vision that could only be achieved by working together, rather than constantly against each other." Facilitating this shift to "partners, not competitors" was Anderson's zealous belief in communicating relentlessly—i.e., truthfully, empathetically, and continuously—to establish first familiarity, then trust. This effort paid off later when Delta was negotiating a business agreement involving other airlines and their pilot groups. During the discussions, when one airline resisted, Moak came to Anderson seeking help. In the past, Moak never would have considered asking the CEO for such assistance. Anderson instantly agreed and soon after gained the needed support; this increased Moak's trust in him and, by implication, in Delta management. By connecting mentally and emotionally with the pilots, Anderson gradually reshaped a divisive relationship into a collaborative one. This attitude also went a long way toward bridging the cultural divide between corporations when Delta merged with Northwest Airlines in what many observers described as an atypically "unbumpy" ride. Anderson showed equal empathy in his approach to Northwest's displaced, apprehensive employees, who felt a sense of loss over the demise of their airline. Anderson arranged for small chunks of a retired Northwest 747 to be affixed to a plaque with this inscription: "In appreciation of your contribution to Northwest Airlines, a piece of the red tail." Every former Northwest-turned-Delta employee received one. 46 May/June 2013 BizEd Make sure the MBA curriculum teaches communication strategies— such as reputation management, media relations, and persuasion techniques—in addition to basic relationship-building skills such as writing and presenting. As Delta's Anderson says, "It doesn't matter how brilliant you are or your strategy is. If you can't get your team to come together and follow you, it's not going to work. B-schools could certainly benefit from teaching what it takes to motivate people and lead a large organization." Rethinking the institution's perspective on the nature of leadership and organizational change might require letting go of a long-held, familiar viewpoint, but it's the crucial first step. This altered view of the essence of leadership becomes the cornerstone of an MBA program that wants to produce empathetic leaders. Rethink, reconceive, redefine—then redo. 2. Integrate human behavior education throughout the MBA experience. When relationship-building lessons are incorporated throughout the curriculum, MBA students realize their emotional and social intelligence are as crucial to their leadership roles as their knowledge of finance and marketing. Integration can be a tough sell to faculty, as it puts perceived constraints on their scheduling and teaching freedoms. But it's doable. The Yale School of Management chose to restructure on a large scale in 2006 by revising its first-year MBA core into a set of integrated, multidisciplinary courses organized by key stakeholders such as employees, customers, investors,