Be Their Ronald Reagan: Help Them Tear Down Those Walls!

I announced in May, 2010, the 52 - Week Employee Recognition Plan. This is the 20th (20th? Yes, 20th) week of that plan. The lesson this week is:

Be their Ronald Reagan: help them tear down those walls.

Former President Ronald Reagan spoke these now famous words on June 12, 1987:

"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!'"

It was a rousing speech given to a rousing reception in an inspiring location.

Look at it closely. Can you see a business leader, you, giving the near-exact same speech today:

Department heads, team leaders and all of us together, if we seek success, if we seek prosperity for each other and our company, if we seek new ideas for new products and services to serve new markets: Come here to this meeting! Let’s open our office doors! All of us together, let’s tear down those walls. The walls that keep us from sharing ideas, sharing credit, sharing challenges and resources to conquer them.

I understand the fear of competing in a global market with what we see as our limited resources and the pain of division that afflict this company --and I pledge to you my efforts to help overcome these burdens.

A leader is first recognized when they communicate a compelling call to action, an inspiring call to action, a vision and a purpose that unites disparate and competing interests to put their differences aside and unite their skills and passions towards a common goal.

A leader is confirmed when they work tirelessly, consistently, openly and transparently to execute that vision.

Be their leader. Be their Ronald Reagan. Inspire them to tear down those walls!

Bold calls to action, provocative calls to action, like these in speeches like this given in places like the Brandenburg Gate that divided then West and East Berlin were what helped this former president be known as The Great Communicator. Here’s the text of the speech. Here’s a video clip of the speech.

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You can start with any week of the 52 - Week Employee Recognition Plan and make that your first week.

You can take one of those weeks and turn it into a month or commit to an accelerated pace and complete 6 of the weeks in one month.

You can create your own week of employee recognition. Share that journey here. Share it in your blog or Twitter or Facebook.

But do something to recognize your employees! They set your brand apart as your ultimate competitive edge. And the more you recognize their achievements, the more achievements you'll see and they'll enjoy, along with your customers and and shareholders, partners and vendors.