People Strategies: Jack Stack puts his full effort into every project

Linda Bower is a speaker, executive coach and human performance improvement consultant in Rogersville.

In his recent book "A Stake in the Outcome," Jack Stack, president and CEO of SRC Holdings Corp., describes why and how to create a culture of ownership. Stack continues to build on his learning via a ground-breaking business model that shares the title of his first book, "The Great Game of Business."

These books were not written by a normal CEO. How many business executives would include this statement in an epilogue?

"There are lessons here that go beyond business, however, because ownership is a state of mind. Ownership is hope. It's curiosity, openness and eagerness to learn and grow. It's caring about yourself and the people around you. It's wanting to contribute, to make a difference. It's the courage and conviction to face the future. It's confidence, self-esteem and pride. It's the ability to handle diversity. It's giving back to your community and appreciating the gifts you've received."

Typically cynical, I expected to see some form of hypocrisy or arrogance during my interview with Stack for this article. Instead I found myself being swept into thinking that things could really be different for people in business.

It was Stack's willingness to take risks during our interview that was disarming. He spoke openly about his professional philosophies, the personal challenges he faces and his deep sense of responsibility.

"I spend a lot of time telling people what it is like to be a CEO," Stack said. "It's really not all it's cracked up to be. It's petrifying when you have a company event and everybody shows up with their kids. I look out there and say, Wow, if you screw up, look at all the people you are going to be affecting.' It's a very, very frightening responsibility. You know there is a reason why you are doing it that is beyond the individual."

Stack's message is simple: Give employees information and context, then let them come to their own conclusions about how to proceed. In most companies people are asked to make decisions with almost no information and no compelling business context. That's how well-intentioned people make bad decisions. Not at SRC.

"I'm trying to teach everyone what it is like to be in the boss's shoes. I give them all the information and the perspective. Using an open-book management approach, we don't hide behind any of the information and ask everyone to understand the bigger picture.

"I'm just trying to look at things differently. Most people focus on the product or the services they make. I'm looking at the company as a product. If (associates) think about creating the company as a product, then there is logic to quality and there is logic to service. They see their decisions making a difference."

Stack spoke about starting from a "blank page" when designing how people would be managed at SRC, "I've always believed that it is difficult to accept reality and that leadership is about teaching reality. And people have a hard time accepting reality.

"What are some of the barriers? I think education is one; I think confidence is another. I don't think a lot of people believe they can understand business. I don't know where people lose confidence or if they ever had it. If you are going to try to change someone's thinking, whether it's to try to build their personal confidence or develop a business culture of confidence, I've come to the conclusion that it is repetition, repetition and repetition.

"Fortunately, I'm in a situation where the more you teach, the more people teach you. I have an organization where I've had to keep learning all the time. I have to educate myself because I work with very, very smart people. I've given them everything I know, and when they ask me questions I don't know I have to keep studying to answer the questions. Because when you are running a learning organization you do get some people that learn really quick and they push you. Then they keep pushing you until you are out of the box."

Stack is a revolutionary with a gift for emotional and intellectual clarity about the people side of business. But that minimizes the real opportunity to learn from him: Jack Stack lives on purpose.

His passion for communication, innovation, education and giving back to the community permeates everything he does. He runs 22 companies and still finds time to co-chair the United Way of the Ozarks campaign. What if a few more of us lived with such passion for our beliefs?