The following comes from an interview that Stephen Covey did with Horst Schulze, the former president and chief operating officer of Ritz-Carlton Hotels. It comes from Covey's outstanding book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness."Leadership is creating an environment in which people want to be part of the organization and not just work for the organization. Leadership creates an environment that makes people want to, rather than have to, do...must give purpose, not just work and function. I am obligated to create an environment where people feel part of something, feel fulfilled, and have purpose. It is purpose -- it is value in their lives -- that leads people to truly give of their minds. Anything less is irresponsible to the organization and demands more handling by the individual.
When you see people only as fulfilling a function, you're treating them like a thing, like the chair you're sitting on. We found the greatest satisfaction for an employee is to feel part of of something and to feel trusted to make decisions and to contribute.
Everyone is a knowledge worker in their specific area, and undoubtedly the dishwasher has more knowledge about their situation than I have. So that dishwasher can contribute to the improved environment, work conditions, productivity, lack of dish breakage, etc. They can contribute their knowledge in their area tremendously."
The motto of Ritz-Carlton: "We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen."
