Jumping in With Both Feet 20
Every person has talents; you just have to cast them properly.
As president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield East, Marjorie Dorr is responsible for a $4 billion business, which includes operations in the Northeast, encompassing Connecticut, Maine, and New Hampshire. Her responsibilities include the company’s customer business units, which focus on sales and service. In addition, she is responsible for actuarial services, provider relations/contracts, medical management, quality management, marketing, communications, and support services.
Taking Chances
Highly recognized for her positive and enthusiastic spirit, Marjorie is not afraid to jump in with both feet. She is also not against throwing her people into the deep end. “A lot of companies fail because they try a ‘cookie-cutter’ approach,” says Marjorie. “We work in a highly regulated business, so it is easy to get paralyzed by the system. We counter this by getting ideas from lots of different sources and often doing things that are totally unheard of in this system.” Marjorie is proud that she has been able to give people the same breaks that she was given. “I have hundreds of people whose [careers have] totally blossomed. I have been disappointed maybe five times out of a hundred.”
Pulling the Wires Together
The key to success, says Marjorie, is “lots of communication and giving opportunities.” Through her direct and open style of communication, Marjorie develops the trust and confidence that enables her to rely heavily on her people. Marjorie gives her people permission to do things “outside the box” and rewards the highly innovative people whose ideas help keep Anthem moving and growing.
With strong communication channels and a clear vision established, Marjorie has been able to capitalize on the strengths and characteristics of her diverse team and the positive elements of the company’s history. She calls it “pulling the wires together,” and it’s definitely working. In February 2002, Fortune named Anthem one of the 10 most admired healthcare companies in America for the second consecutive year.21
Resource Section
EMPOWERING PEOPLE
ITEM 35: Builds People’s Confidence
WHAT TO DO
• Recognize small improvements in performance.
• Recognize desired behavior that leads to expected performance.
• Criticize constructively and in private. Let people know you have confidence that they can make the needed changes in their performance.
• Delegate assignments and let go! Empower people to pursue the assignment their way, within set parameters and deadlines.
• Cultivate a work climate that allows people to learn from their mistakes.
HOW TO DO IT
• Praise when it is justified, and be specific about what you are praising.
• Have people represent you at meetings or prepare documents for your signature. • Understand the current performance levels of your employees, and recognize what is beyond that level. Coach your employees to maximize their potential.
• Tell people what they did right, and then illustrate how they can use that experience to build on improving in the area they did not do well.
• Explain to people that you intend to “let go” and allow them to complete assignments on their own. Let them know it is okay to ask for assistance when they need it.
• Encourage people to ask you open ended questions about what they should do or say on your behalf in meetings or in documents for your signature.
• Demonstrate that it is okay to make mistakes by not punishing people.
• Reward high performers with more responsibilities and promotional opportunity.
MORE HOW TOS
• Discuss techniques with managers who excel at building people’s confidence.
• Encourage people to come up with different ideas and perspectives to solve problems and spot opportunities.
• Create a favorable environment in which people are encouraged to grow their skills.