Electricity, Community and Conscious Leadership
Conscious companies are an indispensable part of their communities
In the aftermath of last month’s historic winter storm here in Texas, there have been many investigations, legislative hearings, and ongoing healing and repairs across the state. One beacon of light amidst the gloom is the story of H-E-B, Texas’ favorite local grocery store chain. The company is continually highlighted in media for its stellar response to natural disasters across the state.
The latest highlight is a story in the Dallas Morning News about how H-E-B prepared itself for power outages due to hurricanes, tornadoes and, most recently, severe winter storms. The company’s head of energy, George Presses, had the foresight to envision scenarios where a loss of power means not being a reliable service to the community. And groceries are among the most essential services any community needs during a crisis.
So H-E-B partnered with a Houston-based company to install natural gas-powered generators in several of its stores starting in 2016. It costs H-E-B about $1million to install such a generator for each store. But the cost is a worthwhile investment. And not just because a store power outage means losing $500,000 worth of inventory due to food spoilage. H-E-B recognizes the impact it has on the local community as well.
Here’s how Presses describes H-E-B’s view of the investment:
“There’s nothing stopping others from doing this, but it’s about how you value your position in the economy,” Presses said. “We think we’re indispensable.”
Seeing that customers can also depend on the store to warm up or recharge their phones is gratifying, he said. “All my friends in Houston know which H-E-B stores have a generator. When power was out after the Dallas tornadoes, people were in the café at our Midway Central Market all the time to charge up their phones.”
This is conscious leadership in action. It’s having a powerful purpose for your company and then ensuring all stakeholders are considered in that purpose. By making a million-dollar investment in each generator, H-E-B will save millions of dollars in food for its company and its customers. And it views itself as a community center where local citizens can get another essential service during a crisis: electricity.
As one local fan observed of HEB: “It’s like H-E-B is the moral center of Texas.” That’s the perfect description of conscious leadership in a company. The New York Times characterized it as “a conscious choice to stay rooted to the idea of being a good neighbor.” During the recent storm, one H-E-B decided to let customers continue shopping and leave without paying for their food when the power outage shut down their payment systems. Instead of price gouging, H-E-B put their customers’ needs ahead of profit or greed.
As a conscious leader, consider the broader impact of your company.
How can you lean in to your purpose and expand it beyond profit?
What impact can you have in your community?
How can your conscious leadership position you as a beloved brand that truly serves your community?
The H-E-B model is an excellent one to learn from as we seek to build conscious companies and teams.
Work happy. Live happy. BE happy.
Meredith
The way we work and build teams is rapidly changing. Leaders often feel unprepared to navigate the transition. As a conscious leadership coach, consultant and communicator, Meredith helps leaders and their teams create new ways of working and relating so they can prepare for the future by consciously co-creating it.
Contact her to develop your conscious leadership and transform your organization into the workplace of the future.
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