Chapter 5: Let Your Guard Down

Overview

For God’s sake, choose a self and stand by it.

—William James, OLDER BROTHER OF NOVELIST HENRY JAMES

If Al Stubblefield, chief executive officer (CEO) of Baptist Health Care (BHC), which ranked tenth on Fortune’s 2002 list of the nation’s “Best Companies to Work For,” mispronounces a name or makes a mistake using his “Mississippi math,” he is likely the first to laugh. “I pick at myself and have fun with my mistakes,” he says. Reminiscent of the colorful antics of retired Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher, Stubblefield once dressed in full football gear, “tight pants and all,” for a Super Bowl–themed quarterly meeting with 500 of BHC’s leaders and did “a respectable impromptu touchdown dance” on stage. He has also been a cowboy who “herded” several employees dressed up like cows.

Stubblefield tries hard to create a “collegial” environment and wants to be out among BHC staff (“not down to them”), far from the high and mighty CEO image. In fact, he is described by his staff as a leader who is “real,” “approachable,” and “down to earth” and “really makes you feel like he’s listening to you.”

A more personal side comes across in the stories Stubblefield tells in group and one-on-one interactions. That he lost 40 pounds last year was a topic. And he tells about what’s going on with his four kids and his wife. The whole family sings in his church choir, and Stubblefield has been known to invite BHC executives to Sunday service. Recently, he and his brother, a doctor in Mississippi, challenged each other to read the whole Bible in a year, and he is not afraid to share a piece of scripture with his officers if he feels it “speaks to him” and says something meaningful about a current situation at work. If anyone gets offended by Stubblefield reading Bible verses in a work setting, they might be missing his point: “It gives them a sense of my spiritual depth and what’s important to me,” he says. “It’s what makes me tick.”

Reflecting on his leadership since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the string of national corporate scandals, Stubblefield believes that he probably has been more deliberate about showing his personal values and accentuating BHC’s organizational values. “When I feel good about my pastor, I want to do things over and above showing up at church every Sunday.” Similarly, if BHC employees understand that Stubblefield is “rock solid” in his values, “they’ll probably run a little harder and come up with a couple more bright ideas to help take us to the next level.”

Leaders who show their humanness and allow people to develop a strong understanding of who they really are can close the distance between themselves and their followers, strengthening work relationships and building credibility. Ultimately, followers cannot truly trust leaders unless they have some sense of who the leaders are, what’s important to them, and what they stand for. Followers develop this sense when leaders are transparent enough to reveal themselves personally, showing their beliefs, perspectives, values, interests, and background.

Yet the personal authenticity part of leadership transparency is not as easy as Stubblefield’s story might make it seem. Woe to the CEO who tries to build trust and good relationships by just letting it all hang out.