SuccessFactors: "My Boss Thanked Me For Calling Him A Jerk"

Guy Kawasaki's post earlier in the week in the ARSE test also listed the 14 rules of engagement that new employees at SuccessFactors are required to sign.  This provoked a number of cynical and critical comments, such as "In my experience, good companies build an environment where people don't want to act like assholes - nobody needs to be bound by an agreement." I guess that there is a good argument that some companies and teams follow the rule so strongly that they don't need to write it down. But my view is that such clarity isn't so easily dismissed, and in fact, you can see the power of such expectations if you follow the history of Southwest Airlines, which has espoused "we hire and fire for attitude" since it's early days, and you can see the spirit still throughout the company. 

I would also add, as I wrote in an earlier post, that such agreements mean nothing unless they are backed by action.  Indeed, two measures of the power of a norm are:

1. What happens when someone breaks  it: Is the transgression immediately discussed and identifed?  Does the rule-breaker accept responsibility for the violation?

2. Do peers and subordinates -- not just superiors -- feel psychologically safe -- even obligated -- to enforce the norm.

An example that I have a lot of experience with is brainstorming sessions at IDEO. One of the most important norms is "don't criticize" because the fear of evaluation stifles the idea generation process.  And people at all levels of status and experience are obliged to enforce the norm no matter who breaks it.  I've seen David Kelley -- Chairman and Founder, and a truly inspirational and modest leader -- break the norm at a  brainstorm and seen a young engineer call him on it.  David's reaction was immediate: "Sorry, I blew, I can't believe that I did that."

Now, to return to SuccessFactors, consider the last paragraph of Max Goldman's amazing and inspiring post on their Performance & Talent Management Blog on "I agree not to be an a-hole:"

"My own personal experience with no assholes is very simple. Once, my boss was being a jerk. I told him so - in those words. Instead of getting mad, he accepted the comment and we moved on. Later, he thanked me for telling him. My boss thanked me for calling him a jerk. Let me repeat that. My boss thanked me for calling him a jerk. Calling the spade a spade helped everyone work better together and get more done. Can you do that at your company?" 

Max asks a damn good question.  I bet that 95% percent of the American workforce would answer a resounding "no." I sure can't do it at Stanford. ( Well, I guess I could do it at the d.school as David Kelley  is the founder and leader, although he refuses to accept any title but "co-founder," but nowhere else.) I should also add that Max is pulling in another rule of engagement at SuccessFactors, "I will be transparent. I will communicate clearly and be brutally honest, even when it’s difficult, because I trust my colleagues."  

Comments

[Reghu Kurian]

Sutton, you just said what we have in our mind. This also make me realize that jerks are so common in office as well as all work places. I work with a community of jerks and many times in a day i feel that i will become like them if i don't escape from the work place. I am trying my best to educate my self so that i can get out. Thanks again for the title. This made me read the article like many.

[kipling]

You've obviously struck a chord (or a nerve) with this whole arsehole thing. And the blog-marketing idea is brilliant (I hadn't realized the book hadn't been published yet). I took the test and am borderline. Should I shoot myself before I go "over the edge"? On second thoughts, I'll shoot a subordinate - they all deserve it. Jus kidding.

One suggestion: the excerpts and blog entries on this I've read so far leave me with the strong impression that, as power turns people into arseholes, anyone who arrives at a position of power is more or less doomed to becoming an arsehole. Is this your view? If so, it seems somewhat... arsehole-ish! People in positions of power also (normally) have responsibilities, with their neck (or reputation) on the block if things fail, thus they will need to lead and in some cases that might well mean acting in a way that offends some. If you just want to please everyone, and are afraid of offending others, I suggest you may well not get far, and end up stuck in a position you don't particularly enjoy. The post above, for instance, is a good example of the fine line between being "honest" and being an arsehole: surely a genuine arsehole will say, I'm not being an arsehole, I'm just telling the truth - they're jerks! And yet there IS a genuine need for (genuine, not sadistic) honesty, whether you are a boss or an employee.

Perhaps you or readers could give examples of leaders who lead successfully WITHOUT turning into arseholes?