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Corporate Lessons From Survivor

by Sharon M. Gazda
President, Edizen

CEO's take note — the most qualified people to survive in your company might just be the people in the Human Resources department.

Millions of Americans stayed glued to their TV's for the final episode of the first CBS mega-hit, Survivor and, after two hours, gasped as Richard Hatch was proclaimed the sole survivor.

How could that be? Richard, the snake, the man who fellow survivors termed arrogant and obnoxious. Richard, the king of alliances and fodder for radio talk shows everywhere. Richard, the winner, and now a millionaire. Say it isn't so.

However, the real reason Richard survived against all the others is simple: he's a Corporate Trainer. As a fellow Corporate Trainer, I know that his training background taught him the skills that would help him succeed, whether inside or outside of the corporate environment.

For one, Corporate Trainers know that alliances are crucial. It is a constant battle for us to figure out which way the corporate vision is blowing. Each management philosophy from TQM to customer service, delegation to empowerment, and re-engineering to re-alignment are touted as critical. Every business unit head and every senior executive has their own opinion about what their people need to know.

As Corporate Trainers, we learn quickly that forming alliances is the only way to survive and keep our jobs when five different departments pull us in six different directions, while at the same time they do the annual "slash the training budget" dance.

Another skill Corporate Trainers possess is confidence. Richard may have been accused of having too much of it, but you try standing in front of 30 corporate executives who think they know it all. As Trainers, we listen, we clarify, we give feedback, and we gently consider each ego so that the majority of participants leave having learned at least one or two key lessons.

Dealing with conflict is another skill we Corporate Trainers practice daily, and one that served Richard well. Trainers understand that survival means constantly gauging the mood of the group to get a reality check. Richard knew just when to bolster someone, or when it was in his best interests to bond with a fellow Pagong mate.

Also, in dealing with conflict, Corporate Trainers don’t just watch it unfold. They guide the conflict as it happens and see it through to a harmonious close. But, just like Richard, we also know not to take conflict too seriously. We stay cool, smile, take a deep breath, and move on to the next point or agenda item.

Another skill that Corporate Trainers possess is the ability to accept and adjust for divergent views. We approach learning situations knowing that there will be multiple ideas and agendas. And, like Richard, we synthesize the issues quickly into the two or three common themes. We race around flip charts, thinking out loud, capturing the pearls of wisdom hoping and praying we’ll find consensus.

Trainees think the charts are for them to read, but really they are for us to process information in real time. We write and think simultaneously to capture all the divergent ideas and somehow pull them together for learning.

Finally, let’s look at the skill of E.Q., or as Daniel Goldman describes it — Emotional Quotient. E.Q. is the people side of intelligence. It’s not about traditional intelligence, but rather the science of building relationships.

Richard and Kelly (the runner up) possess high E.Q. Many of the other islanders possessed strong technical skills or intellectual intelligence. Rudy the navy seal, Gervasse the athlete, Sean, a neurologist, and the others. But, just as we see in corporations, a person’s technical skills or raw intelligence is not an accurate predictor of success.

Corporate Trainers constantly fight for what are usually referred to as "soft skills." We understand that all the technical expertise in the world won’t help if you can’t get along with others. And E.Q. is what helps people form relationships, collaborate, work with others, and communicate. I don’t think for one minute, that Sue, the Chicago truck driver, ever had the box "plays well with others" checked off during her school years. Richard, on the other hand, has a high E.Q. We corporate trainers need to have enough of it for ourselves and still have some left over to impart to our corporate trainees.

So, Corporate Trainers of the world stand up and cheer! And CEO’s take note — There is a wealth of qualified talent a few floors down in HR. Whether you’re stranded on a deserted island or in the corner office, you already have the skills your business needs to succeed in your HR department. By giving us the credibility we deserve, we can help you survive.

Sharon Gazda is President of Edizen, a consulting company specializing in Executive Coaching and Strategic HR Planning to help executives master the art of business.

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