Keeping Employees Happy in a Post-Recession World

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It prods them to broaden their thinking and to identify and pursue worthy goals. It's another positive way to cement relationships with the people who work for us.

Alan Mulally is leading a remarkable turnaround at Ford (F), in part because of his skill at getting individuals throughout the company involved in decision-making. As Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported last year, collaborative leadership hasn't always been one of Mulally's strengths. As a rising star at Boeing (BA), he was advised by his boss to get outside his division and take a broader view of how to run the whole organization. He learned through further coaching that he wasn't a particularly inclusive leader and that people needed more feedback from him. Mulally acknowledged his shortcomings and worked hard to overcome them. He carried his improved collaborative style with him to Ford, where he has used it to change the culture and deliver new levels of performance.

• Challenge yourself: As leaders, we can get so busy dispensing advice and providing feedback that we forget to look at our own behavior and the impact it has on colleagues. In his highly insightful book What Got You Here Won't Get You There, executive coach (and fellow Businessweek.com contributor) Marshall Goldsmith advises: "If you really want to know how your behavior is coming across with your colleagues and clients, stop looking in the mirror and admiring yourself. Let your colleagues hold the mirror and tell you what they see."

I have taken Marshall's good advice. At the end of each month, members of CCL's executive team take time out to give each other feedback. We examine how we're faring on the team's top three priorities. Each executive team member has also picked two areas in which to improve personally. We give each colleague feedback on how they're doing with those, and they do the same for us. This approach fosters candid communication and keeps us focused on getting better—both as a team and as individual team members. Teams really do get better when there is a sense of mutual accountability and perpetual self-discipline.

We've all waited a long time for business to start picking up again. As conditions improve, it's tempting and indeed necessary to charge ahead with innovative products, marketing campaigns, and improved business processes. Still, in the flurry of activity, it's crucial not to lose sight of the wishes and needs of the women and men who are ultimately the cornerstone of our success. When they are satisfied, focused, and engaged, you see the results in the bottom line.

John R. Ryan is president of the Center for Creative Leadership, a top-ranked, global provider of executive education. He previously served as chancellor of the State University of New York and superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. He was a pilot during a 35-year career in the Navy, retiring as a vice-admiral.

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