Truth 31
Coming In From The Outside? Pay Your Dues!

What would you do to succeed in a new leadership position? How far would you go to show that you care about your new organization? Would you roll up your sleeves, get down on your knees, and clean the staff toilets? That's not as extreme as it might sound. The leader in this chapter did just that in real life!

When Casey, new director of a state energy commission, stepped into the role, she faced several obstacles: she hadn't risen through the usual government ranks, her background was in local community projects, she lacked energy industry experience, and she was the first woman in the job. Not only that, but major organizational change was clearly required. Securing the job may have been a challenge, but keeping and delivering it looked tougher still. The bureaucrats figured she'd last two years at the most. Twelve years later, however, she was still there, ready for a more responsible position, and with a successor trained. During that time, her commission had been voted the nation's most effective, and she had been tapped by the government to lead the federal energy commission.

What Casey's new colleagues didn't realize was that her "irrelevant" background had given her great experience in creating partnerships and in getting diverse people on board. Casey knew that, before making changes, she needed to build credibility by showing employees at all levels that she cared about what they were doing. She also knew that it takes a long time not only to convince an organization that it needs to change, but to really embed that change. Above all, Casey understood that she had to pay her dues and, putting personal glory to one side, she was committed to doing so.

It takes a long time
not only to convince
an organization that
it needs to change,
but to really embed
that change.

What advice would Casey give to other outsiders taking over a leadership position, especially when change is required?

• Connect with people in person and by phone, not just through e-mail. This is vital if you are to establish the relationships you'll later need to rely on when seeking support for changes. Casey spent her first two years visiting all 155 of the commission's sites. She showed up with her hard hat and steel-toed shoes and literally got her feet wet when she donned waders to check on the replacement of an ancient dam. In one remote location she chipped in and cleaned those famous toilets.
• Get the "champions" on your side. Spend time getting to know those people who really believe in and do sterling work on behalf of the organization. Once they believe in you, they will help you spread the new thinking across the organization in what they do and say. Casey got her champions noticed in state newspapers for their good work. She then could rally support from key decision-makers when she needed it. This encouraged others to follow suit.
• Think holistically: don't change procedures in one place without looking at the impact elsewhere. A "good deed" can get you in trouble. Casey found that when she let one location ignore a rule because of "special circumstances," other locations thought they could ignore the rules too. She finally decided that outside of natural disasters, there were no "special circumstances." Her consistency of treatment for all locations helped give her the reputation of being a firm and fair leader.
• Involve people outside your organization. Too many organizations get so inwardly focused that they lose touch with the needs of their customers. Casey understood the necessity, particularly for a state organization, of building civic engagement and of being open to questions and challenges from the outside world. When she established a "supporters of energy" group, her staff was initially annoyed. They saw it as busywork. However, when a series of rolling blackouts brought out angry community groups in force, the supporters group jumped in to assist with the crisis and ensure that electricity stayed available.

It took four years for Casey to get cultural change started and another eight years, and a crisis, for it to really take hold. Now, looking back, her commission is pleased with what they have achieved. They are particularly proud of the public involvement from all kinds of people—school kids to big companies. Casey's patience paid off.