Spending policies are being reconsidered by companies, including cutbacks on travel and perks for executives. Some of these cutbacks can create severe dissonance amongst the team.
A good guiding principle is “frugality” (not stinginess). It is a time tested principle and goes long in building and sustaining an organization’s culture and values. What does this translate into in terms of the guidelines for senior management and organizational leaders?
- Travel as you deem fit for the purpose of that journey – train, bus, car, air-economy, air-business, air-economy and business (for multiple legs) and combinations that make (common, good) sense.
- Travel in a manner that is sustainable – be conscious of the carbon footprint that it creates and help minimize that.
- Be aware of global macros and their outlook in future months and quarters. Take a call which is coherent to what you would like to communicate within and outside of the organization.
- Above all: Lead by example across every sphere as leaders of your organization and community at large.
If you think this only applies to small companies or start-ups, how about some inspiration from a company with over US$ 3 billion in sales and a team of over 8,000 people? NetApp is #1 on Fortune’s list of the “Best Companies to Work For”.
According to Fortune: What makes it so great? Employee enthusiasm for the legendary egalitarian culture helped catapult NetApp to No. 1 after six years on our list. Typical of its down-to-earth management ethos, NetApp early on ditched a travel policy a dozen pages long in favor of this maxim: “We are a frugal company. But don’t show up dog-tired to save a few bucks. Use your common sense……………”
As Fortune states even in these tough times the company has gained market share, hasn’t laid-off people, and has more than $2 billion in cash in hand.
More at – http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2009/snapshots/1.html