Right Attitudes

Ideas for Impact

Managing Business Functions

Philanthropy: Collaborative Initiatives to Transfer Corporate Values to the Social Sector

By Leave a Comment

Collaborative Initiatives to Transfer Corporate Values to the Social Sector Traditional philanthropy, whether personal, institutional or corporate, takes three forms: cash capital, volunteer-time in programming support, and cause-related sponsorship. I believe a fourth avenue, corporate and non-profit collaboration, can make an important difference in the society.

Following last year’s Katrina hurricane, Wal-Mart [WMT], Home Depot [HD] and FedEx [FDX] reached out to vulnerable victims by providing hundreds of truckloads of vital supplies, thanks to their immense supply chain infrastructures. These companies highlighted one promising area of effective corporate outreach and community collaboration. Can the corporate sector transfer logistical knowledge to relief agencies and aid them to set-up an infrastructure to support nimble disaster planning in the future?

One of the most significant characteristics of successful corporate leaders is their ability to clearly recognize new social, political and economic influences and to adapt their enterprises to developing circumstances rapidly and economically. These corporate leaders possess the dynamism, the ability to innovate and the mechanisms for spurring efficiency and allocating resources in entirely new channels.

Non-profits have limited access to such visionary individuals and the expertise necessary for social investments to overcome barriers in resources and operational efficiencies. Therefore, there is a pressing need for corporate leaders from all levels to collaborate with the social sector. I expect innovative corporations to launch and expand their philanthropy programs to create partnerships for sustainable initiatives and transfer corporate practices, values, oversight and accountability measures to non-profits.

*Keyword(s): Philanthropy, outreach, non-profits, Katrina, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, FedEx

Respect the Competition

By 2 Comments

In business, as in sports or work-life, it is essential to possess a mature sense of respect for the competition. The recent arguments between US Airways [ LCC] and JetBlue Airways [ JBLU] form a case in point.

JetBlue recently announced services between New York JFK and North Carolina in direct competition with services offered by US Airways. As part of this announcement, JetBlue’s CEO David Neeleman commented, “… until now, the people of North Carolina have overpaid for sub-standard service.” This was a direct attack on US Airways, which has a strong presence in these routes.

In response, Doug Parker, the CEO of US Airways, addressed employees “upset by these remarks” as follows; read the full response here.

First, I know David pretty well and I can assure you he is a genuinely good person. That he chose to make such a remark is probably indicative of the stress that JetBlue is under and we should not take his remarks personally.

He then explained the problems JetBlue faces and compared JetBlue’s offerings with his company’s.

It doesn’t appear that our customers are overpaying; rather it appears that passengers aren’t willing to pay JetBlue enough for them to be profitable.

JetBlue is struggling mightily and the hard working employees of US Airways are a big reason why. Rather than get upset by their comments we should keep them in context … US Airways is going to be here long after JetBlue.

… we will compete aggressively, we will focus on running our own race and we will win. Thanks so much for taking care of our customers and please keep it up.

When faced with a competitor’s unfavourable remarks, it is tempting to confront and bad-mouth the competition. In such circumstances, employees look forward to directions from a company’s leadership. Often, blowing out the competition’s candle to make one’s shine brighter can backfire, create ill will among employees and lead to loss of customer respect. In his message, Doug Parker sets a clear competitive tone by first uttering words of respect for the competition and then explaining the circumstances involved.

In the intensely competitive airline industry, front-line customer service is a critical differentiator. Customer service consists of a series of interactions that customers have with employees: ticketing agents, gate agents and flight attendants. Evidently, JetBlue has a reputation for better customer service. Doug sends a clear message to boost the morale of his employees and motivating them to deliver superior customer experiences.

Clearly, Doug Parker’s respectful and pragmatic approach exudes a winning attitude. The trust and confidence in his message appeals to employees, customers and the competition.