Manufacturing
Lend an ear
How Tony Russell get results at BAE Systems by listening to employees
By Brooke Bates
Smart Business | November 2009
Page 1 of 4
In some ways, our national security rests on Tony Russell’s shoulders.
After all, he’s in charge of protecting those who protect us. As the president of the Security & Survivability division of global defense contractor BAE Systems, he provides products to keep government officials and military personnel safe in high-threat areas. Russell heads three lines of business that produce vehicle armor and restraints, protective materials, and personal gear.
To do that, he has 4,000 of the parent company’s 106,400 employees under his wing.
And, as if those responsibilities didn’t demand enough of his attention during regular office hours, Russell also took his senior staff on a recent tour of all 10 locations — including one in Germany — to conduct town-hall meetings at each office.
So with all that weight riding on him, Russell’s schedule is understandably packed. But no matter how busy his day is, he makes time for one thing: his employees.
“You’ve got so much on your plate,” he says. “It creates anxiety as a leader because you’ve got this long list of things you need to attend to. If somebody comes in, you spend time with them. You’ve got to force yourself to do that.”
After seeing other leaders bark out orders like a commander-in-chief, Russell knows the difference that interaction can make. When you take the time to listen to employees’ viewpoints, you make them contributors rather than just assets.
Whether employees come to him to share ideas or receive their evaluations, Russell espouses the philosophy of listen first, talk second.
“In my career, I think what’s helped is listening to people,” he says. “That’s one of the key leadership aspects that has been important.”
But a listening ear is just the beginning. Russell also engages employees in conversations to explore all the facets of an issue and eventually land on the same page.
The time Russell spends listening to employees manifests in improvement all around — whether it’s their development, his growth as a leader or the overall sense of buy-in that comes from understanding each other’s perspectives.
“I very much rely on key talent around me to help me make good decisions,” Russell says. “If you don’t have people around you that you trust to give you advice that you can take, then you’re just a very limited leader.”
