Top of Their Game: What Motivates Staff To Stay There

By Bonnie Low-Kramen, Pres of Ultimate Assistant Training & Keith Passwater, SVP of Finance, Anthem

A Conversation with Keith Passwater of Anthem

Bonnie Low-Kramen and Keith Passwater met at the Executive Leadership Support Forum in Indianapolis in February, 2018. The two connected around the issues of #MeToo and #TimesUp and they decided to continue the discussion and collaborate on this article.

They hope, that the following ideas resonate with you, that you will share them with leaders and staff in your community.

Bonnie: Before I met Keith in person, I had heard about him from his longtime Executive Assistant, Barb North. Barb painted a picture of a very in-touch executive who valued his team. Barb said he “walked the talk.” I was excited to meet Keith when he agreed to participate on a panel at the Forum where I was the emcee and guest speaker at a conference for Executive Assistants.

During the Q&A, I asked Keith about the problem of workplace bullying and the #MeToo sexual harassment issues and what we could all do about them? My question clearly hit a nerve and his body language told me (and the audience) everything before he uttered a word. In seconds, Keith transformed from being affable, funny, super-smart, and easy-going to an intense and deadly serious executive ready to do battle. But on what side?

Keith’s response did not disappoint. He shared the story of a fellow executive (and married) male colleague who had sent a dozen roses and was making unwelcome overtures toward a young, hard-working assistant to another executive. Keith recalled being pained and angry for two reasons. The first reason was that the executive assistant (EA) was extremely uncomfortable and upset with the situation. The second reason was that the offending executive’s behavior could put the company in jeopardy of a sexual harassment lawsuit, with potentially significant negative financial and public relations impacts. The damage to the company brand could be dramatic.

Keith immediately brought the situation to the attention of the EA’s supervisor and told him what happened and of the need to defend the EA. The executive’s response was essentially, “Is it really that big of a deal?” Keith’s response was, “Yes. If you don’t do something today, I will.” After a fast yet thorough review of the facts, the harasser was confronted, stopped his bad behavior and shortly thereafter left to “pursue other opportunities.”

I was very impressed with Keith’s response and felt that he would have much more to say on the subject. I was right. We decided to continue the conversation about what changes need to happen to stabilize our workplace and inspire excellent results, not just on some days but every day.

Keith: I admit that when I finished college in 1990, I was arrogant and a very ineffective leader. I made some big mistakes and I learned the hard way. Looking back, I micromanaged and made my people miserable. They felt insecure and my behaviors chased some of them away.

Bonnie: Is there anything that could have prevented that? Would a course in college about people management have helped?

Keith: I can’t think of a course that would have gotten through my bulky ego. The biggest lessons I needed were (a) I’m not the most important person in the world, and (b) people are not machines through which I can accomplish my life’s mission. One of the life-changing events for me revolved around becoming a parent. I was carrying my infant daughter one day and I had this sudden realization that someone did this for me. Adults in my life, provided every bit of care I needed to survive without any knowledge of whether I’d turn out to be a model citizen or felon, just because they loved me. 

Despite that love and kindness shown to me, I’d grown up to be someone who used people. From that moment, I carried this sense of gratitude into my leadership of others – caring about their well-being was the least I could do to make a modest repayment for the care shown to me.   

Bonnie: So, how has that changed you as a manager on a practical level?

Keith: Thankfully, I’ve grown to be a better manager today and I know that in part because Barb tells me so. And, I simply could not do my job without her. However, I am concerned about the perceived depreciated value of the administrative staff.

The persistent overt and subtle abusive behaviors by leaders in the workplace really bother me. Besides being morally wrong, companies are exposed to potential lawsuits. It is not hyperbole to call these abusive behaviors a mortal threat to companies. It simply is not smart to abuse anyone and certainly not the EAs who can function as an executive’s right arm when given the opportunity. EAs currently don’t have enough clout and they should.

I recall an executive who told me that he decided to no longer have an EA and that he could do everything she could do. I knew it was a bad decision, but he was sure about how he wanted to proceed. It took about 30 days for him to realize he had made a terrible decision. His calendar was empty and he quickly realized that very few of his direct reports were scheduling meetings with him. Why? Because they wanted to go through an EA. It felt uncomfortable for them to go straight to the Executive.

Bonnie: So what are some solutions?

Keith: Job descriptions for EAs should be updated, standardized, and coupled with orientations for leaders to clearly outline what EAs do. I admit being conflicted over whether EAs should be doing personal tasks for their managers. Is it in the company’s best interest for them to be using their time in this way? If EAs are doing personal tasks, what tasks are not being done? Also, that shift in the work from strictly professional to sometimes personal opens the door for the manipulative leader to cross all sorts of unsavory boundaries.

I am a strong believer in specific and relevant training for EAs. This is money well spent. Many executives do not share this belief because of the false notion that the role is not technically complicated. That is not true. Of course, it is complicated, especially in 2018. Other managers believe that the role is only inward facing and therefore training is not needed. Again, not true. I see that there is a misunderstanding of the complexity of the role and clarity is needed at every level.

New policies are needed making it expressly clear that there will be serious and immediate consequences for bullying and sexual harassment.

Bonnie: We agree that words matter. What about the word “boss” which is derived from the Dutch word “baas” that means Master?

Keith: I have disliked the word ‘boss’ due to the connotation of ‘bossy’ and agree that that the workplace would be better without it. About 10 years ago, a colleague who had just been stripped of his leadership role asked me, “How do you control your team members given that they work in many different locations around the country?” I paused for a moment, taken aback by his use of the word “control” in relation to people. It sounded so possessive to me.

In response to my friend’s question, I shared with him what I learned from my past failures. “My goal isn’t to control my team members; it’s to inspire and equip them to do their best toward our assigned objectives.” At that, my friend said nothing and left my office. Coincidentally (or maybe not so), I later learned he was under investigation for harassment of various sorts.

Bonnie: So what changed in you to help you understand what motivates staff to not only stay at their jobs but to do it with genuine enthusiasm and commitment?

Keith: As I mentioned earlier, becoming a parent led me to this sense of deep gratitude and also a sense of remorse for how I had been treating and leading people in the workplace. I had to admit that the old adage, People don’t leave companies, they leave managers, was applicable to me – capable folks would come and quickly go from my team, frequently leaving the company altogether.  My hard-driving, inhumane style achieved short bursts of high performance, but the cost was immense in terms of low employee morale, high turnover and constant training of new employees. My approach was hurting my team’s performance and it was hurting the company.

From that point forward, I began to study which factors lead to better employee performance: clearly documented expectations, objective and fair performance measurement, lots of affirmation, concise criticism when necessary, some work schedule flexibility and freedom from distraction. When a leader puts these elements in place, conscientious employees thrive, while struggling employees can receive more training or find more suitable positions. Then the final requirement is this: those who disrupt the high-performing environment with inappropriate behavior must be confronted promptly with the full force of the HR policy, up to and including termination.  Keeping an abuser on the team exacts a staggering toll, regardless of his (or her) technical skills for the role. By allowing the abuser to continue doing his (or her) damage, the weak leader is wasting company value.

I figured out that, if I did these things well, my team would be highly productive, my folks would grow and when an employee departed for a new opportunity, I’d find talented candidates eager to fill the vacated role due to the draw of the team’s positive culture. Today, I don’t focus on keeping my eyes on employees. Instead, I concentrate on maintaining the elements of the high-performing environment. And, we enjoy the results together.