Grateful Leadership by Judith W. Umlas

Author:Judith W. Umlas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McGraw Hill LLC
Published: 2013-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

PROFILE 4—MICHAEL E. CASE

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

THE WESTERVELT COMPANY

A Decatur, Alabama, native, I began my career in the packaging industry when I joined Gulf States Paper Corporation in 1981. Over 30 years later, I’m still the first person to recognize I have achieved more in my business career than I ever expected. When I reflect on how I arrived here, however, my thoughts are filled with lessons I have learned from influencers and that I seek to share with others as we continue this journey.

My parents were great role models for me. I experienced appreciation every day. I liked how it made me feel. So it was easy for me to treat others the way I wanted to be treated. While I had many positive role models growing up, I think of my maternal grandmother when I think of gratitude. She was the oldest of 11 siblings. She was the foundation of that very solid family. She knew everyone in town because she worked as a clerk for the city water department. Back then, people paid their water bill in person.

She knew when people were in need, and more often than not, she reached into her purse when “help” was needed. She had little financially, but she appreciated everything. She took nothing for granted and never missed an opportunity to thank others. She was the kindest person I have ever known, and when I consider her actions now, I see two behavioral dimensions that were not apparent at the outset: optimism and patience. It takes courage to share what little you have, but doing so communicates that you believe resources are renewable, and you continue striving until they have been replenished.

A Grateful Leader is focused on others. Gratitude implies appreciation, and to fully appreciate others one must be genuinely interested in people. It means having trust in the competence of others along with an honest assessment of one’s own strengths and weaknesses. I believe Grateful Leaders have a low sense of entitlement and high sense of personal accountability.

My achievement in business can be directly linked to this understanding of servant leadership, and this is often validated by my colleagues through their positive feedback. As a result, our company has formal programs (financial rewards and public recognition) that highlight associates’ contributions in the areas of safety, continuous process improvement, and cross-selling. Additionally, the company’s leaders have gone a step further to include servant leadership as one of the key behavioral areas in their annual performance measurement. Informal recognition through private and public praise, as well as personal handwritten notes, also helps promote an environment of acknowledgment and appreciation.

There is no doubt these programs have raised productivity. When I am about to hire someone who will play an important role in the company, I take them out in a social environment—not to entertain or impress them but to be able to pay careful attention to the way they treat people who can do nothing for them in reality—the waiters, the the people bussing tables, the hostesses.

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