Snowlanta No Match for Corporate Culture



Let me tell you about Derrick, my hero this week.

It was after nightfall, a snowstorm had crippled Atlanta, the sidewalks were iced over and an older guest approached the front desk in tears. Her husband needed medication. He had just endured heart surgery and they were trying to get home when they got stuck in gridlock.

Now, the couple had a warm bed in the hotel, but no way to get his medication. All the nearby pharmacies were closed. She tried to walk outside to look for a pharmacy herself, but she kept slipping on the ice. She wasn’t dressed for the frigid temperature either. Could he help?

This is what was asked of Derrick Cody, a 25-year-old front desk-clerk in a Fairfield Inn & Suites in Atlanta this week. This was also a moment upon which company cultures depend.

Derrick called the hospital, asking if they might deliver the medication. The answer was no; their staff was stranded too. He called every pharmacy in the region. He finally found one open that could fill the prescription, though it was a ways off. Derrick waited until the second of his double shifts ended and pulled on his not-warm-enough-coat. It was 4 a.m. and very, very cold, but “I was younger than she was and I could handle it,” he later said. “I felt like I had to be an example of hospitality. A part of hospitality is morality.” Derrick then walked a mile and a half, each way, to fetch the medication.

Derrick’s story was first shared by a guest who witnessed his actions on social media. It was soon spread by word-of-mouth and by media, by people who found inspiration in his selflessness.

Corporate culture — the term itself suggests that the sense of community within a business is dictated top-down. Corporate first, culture second. Bosses are credited when the culture is strong and get kudos when the company is recognized as a great place to work. Inevitably, those bosses get asked how they create such great morale.

Here’s the answer: We don’t do it alone, not by a long shot.

Strong corporate culture is neither spontaneous nor static. It may start out as a goal or part of a business plan, but it’s something that gets embedded over years, through leadership, recruitment and modeling. It becomes a group effort to recreate that culture every day.

Where I work, the culture is arguably the company’s most salient feature; particularly J. Willard Marriott, Sr.’s founding principle: “If you take care of your employees, they'll take care of your customers.” We call it: Putting People First.

That sort of dedication is not imparted from on high. It comes from an inner pride, a feeling that we are part of a team and our mission is to excel.

Our associates are the best ambassadors and recruiters. My challenge is to make sure leadership identifies those standard bearers (and luckily we have quite a few, with more than 10,000 employees in the U.S. who have been with us for more than 20 years) and lets them know that we support them and we appreciate that they are modeling for new associates what our company is all about.

Appreciation is broader than good salaries and benefits, though those are essential. It also includes recognition, orientation, managerial training, and daily maintenance that includes everything from welcome breakfasts to awards and bonuses to notes, feedback and handshakes. It means making sure supervisors like Derrick’s pull him aside, as his assistant manager did last year, to recruit him for the front desk and let him know he had potential for great things in the company.

I’m writing this also just after we received news that we have made FORTUNE’s All-Star “Best Companies to Work For” list. We’re especially proud of this because two-thirds of a company's score is based on the results of a survey sent to a random sample of employees. That means that the front line employees, the housekeepers, bartenders, sales people and front desk clerks have far more to do with our being on the list than it does with the CEO. We are on the list because of Derrick and so many of his co-workers. They are the reason we’re on the list and the reason I work in a great place.

What — and who — are most important for your company culture?

Related Link:
Marriott Associate Goes Above and Beyond

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Photo: Scott Cunningham / Getty Images

Anne Weinkauf

environmental manager at IDEM

10y

Dear Mr. Sorenson, Remember to recognize the laborers who clean the bathrooms and change the beds in those rooms everyday, day in, day out. Spread some of that 'corporate culture' to those who make the suite sparkle and shine in exchange for wages that may or may not cover their living expenses.

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Ian Butlin

Senior Brand Marketing and Branding Consultant with UK & International experience.

10y

Great story but it is sad that what used to be called acts of common decency are now considered to be fairly exceptional. If only we could all do this a little more in our everyday lives - let alone when we are at work. Well done Derrick, though.

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Neva Wise

Office Manager at Fox Fence Company

10y

Snowlanta is no match for Corporate Culture??? This article is completely misnamed. Derrick is truly a hero and deserves praise as such, but Marriott corporate should not be grabbing the glory as if this were their accomplishment simply because they hired Derrick to work there. It is to be noted that Derrick did this great act of kindness after his shift ended and thus on his own time. It might be mentioned here that Derrick could take his greatness anywhere else and would thus shine in any other environment, corporate or otherwise. GO DERRICK!!! Shame on Marriott for trying to grab the glory.

Shane Mark

Digital Project Manager - Creating Positive Experiences for Digital Users

10y

Which came first? Derrick's internal character which "urged" him to act when he saw another person in need and unable to help themselves. Or a corporate culture that encouraged Derrick to go beyond the job description and be more than simply hospitable? My quick thought is that companies want to hire people with internal character that already exists (though this is hard or impossible to determine in an interview). At the same time a corporate culture should help employees to develop internal character if it has not already evident in their life (also difficult to do with fully formed adult employees and not children/youth). For the couple needing help I guess the answer to where the action came from doesn't matter since they were taken care of by Derrick and by extension Marriott. Well done for being a good person Derrick. And good work encouraging this to be expressed Marriott.

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Jennifer Payne

Director of Membership & Partnerships at National Creditors Bar Association

10y

Outstanding customer service, and kudos to Marriott for recognizing it! A lot of people could learn from this story, and perhaps even more organizations!

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