The Leadership Star

1CARE

 

‘Okay, Miriam, I give up. What are you feeding them!?’

Miriam's laugh echoed out through the speakerphone on my conference room table.

I had asked the question in jest, but there was a serious purpose behind it: how was it possible that Miriam's business had 100 per cent staff satisfaction?

The annual staff survey results for the large Australian bank where I worked had just been published, and Miriam's Hong Kong credit card division had returned a perfect score: every staff member had reported themselves as highly satisfied.

There was only one problem with this result: the Hong Kong credit card business hadn't been successful, and Miriam had been sent there specifically to shut it down.

Staff satisfaction of 100 per cent just didn't make sense.

‘You HAVE told them we're shutting the business, right?’ I'd asked Miriam earlier in the conversation.

‘Yes,’ she replied.

‘And you HAVE told them that they're all going to lose their jobs?’

‘Yes,’ she said again.

Now I was really confused: our decision to shut the business would have a real impact on the careers and financial security of all of our team members in Hong Kong. It was going to be tough for them, and I assumed morale was bound to take a dive — hence my ‘what are you feeding them!?’ question.

After Miriam stopped laughing (she has a great laugh, even in tough times), I persisted: ‘No, really. What are you doing to get a result like that?’

I'll never forget Miriam's calm reply.

‘I speak to every staff member, every ...