Compare the way FedEx Freight sought to put people first with the way Scripture teaches us to put people first. What are the similarities and differences? How can leaders help develop a culture of “putting people first?”

Compare the way FedEx Freight sought to put people first with the way Scripture teaches us to put people first. What are the similarities and differences? How can leaders help develop a culture of “putting people first?”

In the Scripture from the old through the new testaments and the letters, we are bombarded with instructions and admonitions on treating each other well and putting each other first. One of the greatest commandments is loving your neighbor as yourself. When we do that we tend to be less selfish and are open and willing to take care of each other as God intends, with everyone contributing to the greater good treating each other with respect and love. “No one shall seek his own advantage, but that of his neighbor” (1 Corinthians 10: 24). Being on the lookout for one another makes us better as we work together to accomplish much for humanity. If we love one another, we are less inclined to hurt, envy, distrust and greed.

With FedEx Freight, we see these values of putting their people first rejuvenated after the merger, when things were starting to deteriorate. The new company had to go back to the values espoused by the founders of seeing the people as their greatest assets, treating them better, thrusting and valuing their individual contributions to the success of the entire corporation. By focusing on team work, recognizing employee strength and nurturing same, leading in a fair and just manner, providing better wages and entitlement, creating opportunities, trusting and respecting team members, FedEx produced engaged employees who in turn are taking the company to extraordinary heights in terms of growth and profit. This experiment is like what the Bible teaches us regarding human relationship enjoining us to always look out for one another ensuring that we treat people with humility and patience, knowing that we all children of the same God, who expects the best from us. Campbell (2017) reminds us that there is more to a company than the products or profit because behind all of these are the people who drive the growth, and that better treatment of people produce better engagement and growth. People are very critical to the performance of companies and with better working environment, they tend to put in their best and produce better for the company. Upon his return to Starbucks in 2009, Howard Schultz decided to invest in people to turn around the company by retraining employees, offering stock options, referring to employees as partners while always acknowledging their importance (Lansdell, 2017). We see the results on how well Starbucks is doing as a global company with presence all over the world. They put people first and put less emphasis on profit which eventually revitalized their brand.

Leaders can do well by consciously embracing this strategy of putting people first to better serve the society and their stakeholders. It is necessary to make this a part of overall corporate strategy, to live and model this behavior, and for leaders to be supportive and actively engage in overseeing the success of the project. Clear and precise communication is key to building this process. The strategy must be clear to all from top to bottom to ensure that everyone is in cohort with the idea. When necessary, employees should be trained and retrained to make sure they are actively living the process and walking the talk. Loving and respecting one another is required of us as Christians and companies who imbibe this tenet can also achieve the desired economic benefits. We are better people when we do this.

What biblical connections can be made to the values displayed by FedEx Freight? Are these values discussed in current business/organizational literature?

Ephesians Chapter 4 reminds us to treat each other with humility and patience as each of us has been gifted differently and using those gifts in conjunction with one another to bring out the best outcomes. For FedEx, in putting people first, their guiding principle is the belief in people as one of the building blocks for success, recognizing the strengths of individuals and nurturing those strength together with those of others to achieve a common goal. They offer employees opportunity to grow as individuals, trust and respect, better emoluments and better equipment to carry out their duties and be successful. The Bible also encourages us to, “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vain glory; rather humbly regard others as more important than yourself, each looking out not for own interest but everyone for those of others” (Philippians 2: 3-4). Being selfless and encouraging each other to succeed is very vital in making us better human beings and living up to what God expects from each of us. It is not only a nice thing to do but as we can see with FedEx, it is a great strategic move which has resulted in extraordinary growth for the company, giving it worldwide name recognition and making it the biggest competitor in the industry.

References

Campbell, S. (2017). RevUnit grows by putting people first. Arkansas Business, 34(19),

29. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/apps/doc 

Campbell, K. (2018) Chung putting his faith in people as company bets big on e-commerce

sector. Real Estate Weekly. Retrieved from http://bi.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/global/article/GALE%7CA551423681?u=vic_liberty

Hess, E., & Cameron, K. (2006). Leading with values: Positivity, virtue, and high performance.

New York, New York: Cambridge University Press.

Lansdell, A. (2017). Putting people first. Greater Lansing Business Monthly, 30(2), 8-9.

Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1868898966?accountid=12085

Parish, C. (2015). Putting people first. Learning Disability Practice, 18(2), 39.

doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.7748/ldp.18.2.39.s18