The presenter highlights a broad group of award winners, mentioning his appreciation of their hard work. The audience, approximately 8,000 people strong, is silent for a second. But then, as the presenter takes a breath, about to speak again, a clap is heard from stage-right. Applause then quickly rises from stage right and rolls through the back of the giant auditorium in rapid succession.

The presenter setup the recognition, an unknown person close to the stage  decided broader recognition was needed and soon, several thousand agreed, applauding in unison. It took only two people to grab applause from thousands for the team. We are rarely the presenter, but that should not prevent us from playing a key role in the recognition.

We often fail to start the applause because:

1. Familiarity: We don’t specifically know the person or team to be recognized

2. Timing: We’re not sure the timing is right for the applause

3. Stand Out: We’re afraid to stand out from the crowd

 But what is the real risk, here? In a crowd, applause requires:

1. Identification: The speaker or initiator identifies cause for a celebration

2. First Applauder: Someone must determine that the identified recognition deserves praise by being the first to clap – this is where anyone can play a key role

3. Followers: After one starts, more applaud with ease

This logic does not require a formal speaker or large audience. Instead, all it takes is the first person to identify the event worthy of praise and a second to initiate the applause. Don’t be afraid. If you hear a praise, be the first to applaud the effort. You will find the action contagious. Like the person in the crowd above, your initial applause may lead to thousands applauding.

Question: What’s keeping you from applauding?

The sport of Curling makes an excellent analogy for servant leadership. In this sport, each player must lead in a way, but the Sweeper is like the servant leader. The Skip sets a stone in motion toward a target. As the stone slides along the ice, the Skip then  calls directions to the Sweepers. Sweepers respond by sweeping the ice ahead of the stone more, or less, according the direction of the Skip. The sweeping motion, veracity and direction influence the path of the stone. On the stone’s path to it’s objective there may be obstacles (opposing stones). These factors as well as the overall distance, curl of the stone and other conditions must be accounted for. As a result, there is much shouting back-and-forth between Sweepers and Skips. The Sweepers explain what they see and the Skip provides direction. Communication is critical to success.

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” – Max DePree

In leadership, the factors are similar. A leader must count on the team to set their stones in motion, aimed at specific objectives or targets. Once put into motion though, it is the job of the leader to clear any obstacles. If the Skip or team were able to remove the obstacles, they would. However, when not possible, the leaders must be listening to the team for guidance. Where do they need help? Where must the trajectory of the stone be altered to account for obstacles? In return, the team has the accountability and responsibility to ensure the leader is aware of approaching issues.

Toxic Leadership Perspective

Toxic leaders have a narcissistic need to feel powerful and in control. Therefore, from the toxic leader perspective:

The Skip: Represents the leader, shouting order to the sweepers.

The Sweepers: Reflect the team, receiving direction from the leader on all matters.

Servant Leadership Perspective

In contrast to the toxic leader, the servant leader may alter directions for the project, but seeks to serve the team in accomplishing the organization’s goals. Therefore, from a servant leader perspective:

The Skip: Represents your team.

The Sweeper: Reflects your role of clearing the path for the stones, directed by your team, the Skip.

The Broom: Is your tool for clearing the path for the project. This could be you, other teams you guide to solve a problem or any other tool removing obstacles.

The Stone: Is the project, service or product your team is working on getting to the target or objective.

As a leader, you need to serve the organization. Don’t be fooled into thinking you must shout orders to everyone. Instead, be open to receiving direction from the team. Much like the Skip, the team likely has the best perspective on where your efforts are headed and how to hit the target.

Question: What is your favorite sport analogy to leadership?

Dr. Tony Baron is among the most sought-after servant leadership experts. His book,  The Art of Servant Leadership, documents how servant leadership helped turn around and create outstanding success for Datron World Communications. Tony, who is also the President of Servant Leadership Institute, sat down for an interview on his book, the institute and servant leadership principles.

Questions Covered in the Interview

1. What does Servant Leadership Institute do? (Watch this answer)
2. How do you describe servant leadership? (Watch this answer)
3. What is the greatest challenge of servant leadership for individuals? (Watch this answer)
4. What is the greatest challenge of servant leadership for organizations? (Watch this answer)
5. Does the CEO need to support servant leadership for it to succeed? (Watch this answer)
6. Is there an outstanding example of servant leadership in practice you can share? (Watch this answer)
7. What advice do you have for someone seeking to become a servant leader? (Watch this answer)
8. What advice do you have for someone seeking to establish servant leadership in an organization? (Watch this answer)

Additional Insights from the Interview

1. All leaders have a threefold responsibility to “Inspire, Equip and Encourage those they influence in order to make a positive difference in the world that maximizes people, profit and planet”.
2. Discussion on Ken Melrose and his book Making the Grass Greener on your side, about Ken’s work at Toro.
3. The necessity of a paradigm shift for leaders who seek to practice servant leadership.
4. The benefits via Return of Investment for servant leadership – including references to Don Frick’s book on the Business Case for Servant Leadership
5. The role of moral excellence, emotional intelligence and organizational intelligence in successful servant leadership
6. High level overview of the servant leadership training program at Datron World Communications.

I’d like to thank Tony and the entire Servant Leadership Institute team, not only for this interview, but for all they do. The quality, commitment and service of these individuals is helping to further servant leadership awareness, adopt and action everywhere. Thank you all.

 Question: What new insight do you gather from the interview?

We judge ourselves by our intentions, others by their actions. – Unknown

Why is it that we judge others by actions but ourselves by our intentions? I suspect it is simply a matter of ease. For example, we know what someone else does but we cannot read their mind. In contrast, it is very easy to know our own intentions, but we justify conflicting actions by pointing at excuses. So instead, we judge others by their actions but ourselves by intent.

If we hold ourselves to the same standard as others (our actions), we will have a different picture of our self: the perspective others have of us. For example, if I shine the light of judgement by actions on myself, I find someone different than I intend at times. I suspect we all do:

Family

Our intention is to be fun-loving, energetic, dependable parents and a strong, loving and romantic spouse. Yet, what I often find is that my children get a tired, distracted father with too little time and my wife sees something more of an acquaintance who still forgets to put the toilet seat down. When I judge myself by  actions at home, I know I have work to do and targeted improvements are clear.

Work

In the office, many of us despise gossip. Yet how often do we allow it to occur? We even judge those who spread gossip, but not ourselves for failing to stop it. I find that we often watch others excel time and again, but cut no slack when the first failure comes. For ourselves though, our intentions are what matter most in a failure.

Judge not, lest ye be judged. – Matthew 7:1

Our actions betray us. While we should not judge others, when we do, it is by their actions. When judging ourselves it is our intentions. Shouldn’t we hold ourselves to the same high standard?

 Question: What about you? In what other ways do we judge others by a tougher standard than ourselves?

Welcome to the Spring 2012 edition of the Servant Leadership Observer – your most comprehensive source of servant leadership news, events and blog posts. The obvious themes this quarter include military posts throughout (especially U.S. Air Force), award recipients in the news and another proliferation of interest from Africa .

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NEWS

U.S. Air Force: Tribute to an American Hero: Major General Al Flowers
Brig. Gen. Joseph S. Ward Jr. reflects on his history serving under the 46 year veteran (longest, ever active service in the USAF). As Ward writes, “”In every decision he made, he thought first and foremost on the potential impact to our enlisted corps… …General Flowers lived by the rule that “officers eat last.” He always took great care of others. By all measures, he was the consummate wingman. He embodies the true essence of servant leadership–it is part of his core. ”

Darden School of Business: “Drum Major” vs. Servant Leadership: An Appreciation for the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King
Of the many great posts, news articles and events surrounding servant leadership and Marting Luther King day, Dean Bruner, from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business stood out. In this post, Bruner touches not only only King’s legacy, but not the issue at stake surrounding the controversial quote on the memorial.

Houston Herald: A Servant Leader
The new superintendent of Houston Schools,  Scott Dill, speaks of servant leadership and the type of leader he desires to be for the school system.

The Setonian: Servant Leadership Major Focus for Arts & Sciences Dean Applicant
Michael Zavada, Ph.D., stated servant leadership as a cornerstone of his philosophy in applying for Dean of Arts & Sciences at Seton Hall University. Zavada was chosen as the Dean soon after.

Anderson University: Bonte receives 2012 Nicholson Servant Leader award
Anderson University recently awarded the 2012 Student Servant Leadership award to Junior Ralph Bonte.

Zimbabwe Development Democracy Trust: Cllr Israel Mabaleka: A Servant Leader Par Excellence
ZDDT recognized Cllr Israel Mabaleka as a servant leader, citing examples of servant leadership.

University of Alabama at Birmingham: Stephen Yoder Honored for Leadership
Assistant professor at AUB, Yoder is recognized with the 2012 Odessa Woolfolk Community Service Award. Yoder is also asked to speak regularly on servant leadership.

Defense Video and Imagery Distribution System: Navy chaplain receives Craven Award: His service to country recognized
U.S. Navy Capt. Steve Brown, received the 2012 John H. Craven Servant Leadership Award for his selfless service to country as a servant leader.

ChiroEco: Parker University’s Fabrizio Mancini, DC, shares what it takes to be a servant leader
At an all-school  event, this talk focuses on servant leadership for chiropractics.

World Leader’s Conference: Vote for Your Favorite Definition of Servant Leadership
An interesting poll with a variety of potential definitions for servant leadership, in which readers were asked to vote.

EVENTS

Greenleaf Center: 2012 International Servant Leadership Conference
June 20 –  22 2012, Indianapolis, IN
World Leaders Conference: Changing Hearts, Engaging Minds
April 18 – 19, 2012, Palm Beach Atlantic university

BLOGS

Servant Leadership Institute: Save the Chicken!
Dr. Tony Baron writes of Popeyes Chicken interest and investment in servant leadership.

Leadership Vibe: 4 Needed Strengths in Servant Leadership
James Strasbaugh writes about the necessity of self-awareness, morals, concern for others and simplicity.

Letters From Logan: Qualities of a Servant Leader
High School senior Logan writes about agape love and other qualities of servant leadership.

Zambia Saturday Post Online: Michael Has What is Most Needed in a Leader
In this editorial, the author explains how the selfless nature of Zambia president, Michael Sata, reflects his servant leadership.

Life as a Healthcare CIO: Servant Leadership
In a post examining servant leadership from a healthcare IT perspective,  John Halamka writes: “…let’s all strive to be servant leaders for the benefit of those who do the work and serve on the front lines (of) healthcare and healthcare IT in our quest to alleviate human suffering caused by disease.”

U.S. Air Force – 62 Airlift Wing: Are You a Servant-Leader?
Chief Master Sgt. Gregory Warren writes, ”…leadership to me isn’t about the number of stripes on your sleeve or the shape or color of the rank on your shoulders; it is about serving others…. Does this define you as a leader?”

McKnight’s Long-term Care & Assisted Living: Going Back to Servant Leadership
The Real Nurse Jackie writes a nice perspective on servant leadership for healthcare practitioners.

Literacy, Languages & Leadership: A year of inspired insights #3: Servant leadership in the scullery
Author Dr. Sarah Eaton provides an outstanding life-story example of why some people oppose the term “Servant” in “Servant Leadership”.

Linked 2 Leadership: The Surprising Results of Servant Leadership
Lee Ellis write about the strengths and benefits of servant leadership he experienced across roles as diverse as a Vietnam Prisoner of War (POW) and a senior military officer.

iDoneThis Blog: The Servant Leader and the Social Enterprise
The folks at iDoneThis are definitely servant leadership proponents – and their work shows it. Some great connections here between Dan Pink, HBR and others.

U.S. Air Force: Servant Leadership
Col. Kimerlee Conner writes in advocacy for servant leadership principles at Peterson Air Force base and calls Airman 1st Class Matthew R. Seidler, who gave his life in service to our country on January 5, 2012.

Information Week: Healthcare CIOs Should Become Servant Leaders
This article highlights perspectives from Ken Blanchard in addressing an audience of healthcare IT professionals.

Intervaristy Faith at Work: Is Servant Leadership Destined to Die the Buzzword Death?
The author explains why it is desired this does not happen!

Brian Virtue: Servant Leadership: Lost in Translation
In this guest post, author Laura Reynolds explains a common challenge faced by individuals who emphasize Servant more than Leadership.

Team Trainers: Zen and the Practice of Servant Leadership
An interesting comparison of Zen Buddhism to servant leadership principles.

Mike Falconer: The Cost of Servant Leadership
Mike highlights the tough realities when team members do not respond to servant leadership.

Center for Sharing: Huddle Up! Servant Leadership
A short post about how Jay Ballinger, a manager at Tyco Inc. has begun building community with a morning huddle.

Spring 2012 Posts from The Modern Servant Leader

March Posts

• 3 Tips for Stopping Gossipers and Helping Leadership
• 7 Ways Leadership is Like Sports
• 5 Reasons Sales Should be Part of Every Role
• Does Your Team Feel “F—ing Unappreciated” Like McClane in Die Hard?
• On the Tragic Death of a Colleague
• Penn State Trustees Report – Too Little Too Late
• 10 Ways to Bring New Insight to Your Organization
• Look Where You Want to Lead – Lessons from a Biker
• Is Your Business Bleeding Out?

February Posts

• Screw Business as Usual by Richard Branson – Book Review
• External Hires May Highlight a People Development Failure
• Stop Complaining About What You Permit
• Schedule Time for Goodbye and Feedback
• Holding a Seagull Manager Accountable & Fixing the Behavior
• Mark Sanborn Interview – Up, Down, or Sideways
• 7 Leadership Lessons from Yoda
• Native Language – Use Common Phrases in Most Popular Languages

January Posts

• Joe Paterno Quotes – Great Quotes from a Great Leader
• Southwest Airlines 2011 Results Reflect Benefits of Servant Leadership
• Steve Jobs vs. Herb Kelleher – Hero Worship vs. Servant Leadership
• Lemonjello’s Leads by Example with Zero Waste Sustainability Policy
• Donald Trump’s Face Tells the Story of Power-Based Leadership
• “The Outsiders” by Need To Breathe – Servant Leadership Inspiration
• Employee Assistance Programs – Serving the Organization or the Employee?

Looking like a fool: we’ve all done it. We all dread it. From the infamous “showing up in our underwear” nightmare to the fear of public speaking – we are constantly afraid of looking like a fool. But there is good news! There is one, deep, well hidden secret we can all use to avoid making a fool of ourselves. Are you ready to learn this secret? Are you sure? Good, here it is:

Don’t Worry About Looking Like a Fool.

There it is. It’s that easy. I know, I know… it sounds much too simple. Let me use an example where I recently made a fool of myself to demonstrate:

How I Made a Fool of Myself With Jars of Clay

If you don’t know them, Jars of Clay is an amazing Contemporary Christian band. I am a fan of their work and heard recently that my friend, Joel Tanis was working with them on a project. However, it caught me off guard when Joel introduced me to them at a recent church service. During the sharing of the peace, Joel introduced them all to me by name. Individually, I’m not sure I would have made the connection, but together, I was pretty sure it was the band. At that point, I was still “cool”.

Sitting in front of them for the remainder of the service, I thought about how I would remain cool. I wanted to let them know I appreciated their music. However, I was not completely certain this was Jars of Clay. Worrying about making a fool of myself in front of Joel, I had to find a way to say it carefully…. that is how I made a fool of myself.

After the service, I turned around again and chatted briefly with Joel. Then I turned to Charlie Lowell and, seeking to confirm they were Jars of Clay, I blurted out, “You guys sing, right?” As the words spilled from my mouth I wished I could take them back.

In good humor though, Charlie chuckled, “Yeah, we’ve been known to sing…” I had just made a fool of myself.

In leadership and work, we have opportunities to make a fool of ourselves all the time. These opportunities could come with larger consequences than my own example. So it’s important that we stop this nonsense.

What happens when you worry about making a fool of yourself

1. You Over-think the Solution: When we over-think a solution at the office, we create excessive analysis and waste resources.

2. You Become Nervous: When you’re nervous, people lose confidence in you and your proposals.

3. You’re Not Yourself: If you’re not acting like yourself, those who know you, realize it. Those who do not, assume this is the way you always are.

So the next time you worry about making a fool of yourself, don’t. Remember, that is the big secret to it all. By not worrying about it, you’ll avoid over-thinking it, remain confident and act like yourself. You’re no fool and people will realize it.

Question: Have you ever made a fool of yourself? Why not share it here for everyone to read, forever, as I just did?!

Fire and swords are slow engines of destruction, compared to the tongue of a Gossip. – Richard Steele

Gossip is toxic fuel to a bad corporate culture. I was reminded of this last week when a subscriber asked for tips on dealing with gossip. She writes:

I feel surrounded by “toxic” co-workers that…  like to talk bad about all other leaders. Hearing them involved in all the office gossip and trash talking with their assumptions about these people make me nervous… I feel as though they will trash talk me…. How do I deflect and stay focused?

Gossip is defined as ”Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.” So not all gossip is bad. The problem is that most gossip consists of unflattering rumors. Unflattering and unsubstantiated rumors are the gossip that will  kill your culture.

Help the Gossip Target

Gossip is the opiate of the oppressed. – Erica Jong

Most gossip has some aspect of truth to it. If not truth, then perception. As many say, perception is reality until dis-proven. Therefore, you have an opportunity to serve the organization by dispelling the gossip through support of the targeted individuals.

1. Encourage Consistent & Transparent Communication

When someone is targeted by gossip, there is a good chance the rumors circulate around false motives. Encourages targets of gossip to produce more communication with an emphasis on transparency.

2. Highlight Areas Lacking Support

Without revealing names or specific gossip, let the leader know general areas within which they should build more support.

3. Put Yourself in Their Shoes

It may seem cliche, but if you were the target of gossip, what would you want to know?

By no means should you become a “tattle tail”. However, some careful communications and support of your leadership can help squash bad gossip and improve your culture.

Help the Gossiper

Gossipers often seek attention. Don’t give attention for gossip and you will soon find less gossip in your office. That said, here are some tips to help others break this bad habit:

1. Do Not Act Judgmental

Be careful not to alienate the gossiper by seeming self-righteous. After all, we have our own weaknesses and likely engage in our own gossip on occasions. Therefore, when asked, ”What did you hear?” or otherwise encouraged to gossip yourself, consider responses such as:

“Nothing I can confirm.”

“I’m waiting for them to give an update on that issue.”

2. Stick to the Facts…

The best way to counter gossip, is with facts. You could even have an interest in the notion of the gossip, but respond with, “I’d love to know the facts behind that… have you seen any data on the topic yet?”

3. Change the Topic

When all else fails and you are not comfortable confronting the gossiper head on, defer by changing the topic.

Gossip can be very destructive. Allowed to run unchecked, it will hurt your culture, waste resources and damage leadership credibility. With some careful resistance to gossipers and support of leadership, you can reinforce a more positive culture.

Question: How do you deal with gossip at your office?

Anyone can practice leadership or sports, but not everyone will succeed. Not everyone has the same capacity for sports or leadership. In his book, 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell calls this the Law of the Lid:

“The Lid represents the limit of our leadership abilities. Hard work, efficient management, and knowledge can only bring us so far.”

Here are 7 ways that leadership and sports are alike:

1. You can know what greatness looks like, without being great

Armchair quarterbacks know that Joe Namath, Warren Moon and Tom Brady are all amazing NFL quarterbacks. However, chances are the fans cannot throw a 40 yard touchdown strike. In the same manner, we can observe great leaders without being able to effect the same results.

2. It takes a ton of practice to be good, let alone great

In his book “Outliers“, Malcom Gladwell referenced studies that showed the greatest performers in a given field were not naturally gifted, but practiced endlessly. Over and over again, the studies showed a theme of at least 10,000 hours to be a remarkable success:

The thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works. That’s it. And what’s more, the people at the very top don’t work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder.

Sports and leadership are no exception. If you want to be great at either, start logging hours of practice.

3. There are many variations, with consistent themes

From tennis to hockey, basketball to boxing there are many different types of sports. Yet all sports have share some basic principles like practice, dedication, concentration, physical ability and more. Similarly, leadership styles vary broadly from person to person. Still, great leaders all have some things in common: they serve first, they influence rather than control and they focus on the people.

4. The best performers are not in it for the money

In every sport, there are individuals who traded passion for the game in for greed. In most cases, that performer ends up fading into obscurity. Leaders run the same risk. The greatest examples are leaders who focus solely on fiscal profits rather than addressing social impacts. We don’t have to all be saints, but too often leaders miss the opportunity to serve all stakeholders by focusing solely on shareholders.

5. Selfishness can end your career

Even in individual sports, a focus on yourself at the exclusion of all others can hurt your career. Selfishness is frowned upon. This is even more critical for leaders. To be successful as a leader, you must serve first.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. – Luke 12:48

6. To achieve greatness, you must fall a few times

What sport can you practice and succeed at without falling a few times? There will be bumps and bruises. In fact, few will succeed without a couple significant injuries. For leadership, it is the same. Falling is a necessary lesson in professional development for leaders. A person who has not fallen a few times can not be a great leader.

7. It is always a team effort

No sport is completely an individual effort. There is always the coach, the family support system and the fans who enable the performer. Leadership is the same. You can not succeed as a leader without mentors, family and followers. Leadership and sports are both, always, team efforts.

Sports make great analogies in life because everyone can relate. Leadership is no exception. From extensive practice, to team effort and everything in between, leadership and sports have a lot in common. So put on your equipment, practice hard and remember, whether it is a ball or people, serve first.

Question: What other similarities do you see between sports and leadership?

When Sales is a responsibility of every role in the organization, you increase revenue, investment in the organization and overall morale. Let’s look at an example of someone who views sales as their responsibility, regardless of formal role:

I learned a long time ago, unless I wanted a monologue about how amazing GM products are, I better not mention any problems with my vehicles in front of Eric. Lifelong friend and (until recently) a GM logistics employee, Eric never stopped trying to sell me a GM vehicle. Now employed by a Chrysler supplier, he pushes Chrysler.

Why Your Role Includes Sales

Eric’s persistent sales approach made me notice more GM vehicles on the road. I became familiar with the line of vehicles competing with those I owned. I knew each of the features GM offered that exceeded those in the vehicle I drove. When it came time to replace a vehicle, GM was top on the list. Prior to Eric’s insistence, I had no preference. Here are some of the benefits from every role including sales as a responsibility:

1. Extended Sales Force: The obvious – the more people selling your product or service, the more revenue your company generates.

2. Personal Connections: Customers prefer to buy from people they know and trust. A family member, friend or even casual acquaintance has greater influence than a stranger.

3. More Revenue is More Investment in People: The more revenue you create, the more resources are available for investment in your people.

4. More Revenue is More Investment in Products and Services: Revenue that is not invested back into your people may be invested back into improving your products and services.

5. Improved Morale: The more you sell, the more market share you create. The more market share you create, the more proud employees are of the company.

How You Can Help Everyone Sell

My employer has a fantastic employee friends and family sales program. This initiative empowers employees to sell to family and friends at a substantial discount over retail prices. Even with the substantial discount, the direct sales allows the organization to offer a small percentage “commission” on the sale. The fee is nominal, but it rewards employees for selling our products. This is not a large revenue generating program, but it boosts morale as it enables employees to proudly serve those closest to them with products we produce. Here are similar ways you can help everyone sell at your company:

1. Offer Friends and Family Sales & Discount Programs: Much like that offered by my employer and all the top auto manufacturers, friends and family discount programs encourage employees to sell. These programs also push employees to own quality and support. After all, if your friends and family own your products, you want them to have a great experience.

2. Offer Education on Products & Services: Provide frequent, easy to access information about your services and products. It is especially important to frame this education in the light of your competitors. How do you meet or beat the competition?

3. Make Discount Codes / Coupons Readily Available: How easy is it for employees to grab a coupon or discount code for your products? The more available you make these items, the more encouraged your team will be to promote the products.

I was not a big promoter of our products before. Now, with the example set by Eric and the programs offered by my employer, I consider sales one of my responsibilities (though I work in technology). In fact, I average about one sale a week. As for Eric’s influence on me: I now drive a Chrysler and love it. Those years of influence finally paid off for Eric, his employer and my family.

Question: How do you help your organization sell?

“You know that scene in Die Hard where John McClane drops a bomb on the terrorists and then the Police Chief screams at him for it?”

“Definitely!” I responded.

“Well, when McClane says he feels ‘pretty f—ing unappreciated’, that’s how I feel.”

I knew exactly what he meant. This conversation with a friend caused me to worry about my team members at work. I knew we’d been working extremely hard and wondered, do they feel like Bruce Willis’s character, John McClane? Do your employees feel this way? If there are similarities between this movie scene and your office behaviors, they might!

Employees Fight Hard and Kick Terrorist Butt

Die Hard - John McClane Drops C4 on the Terrorists

In Die Hard, terrorists blow up a SWAT team assault vehicle. In response, Officer John McClane, the hero, drops a major explosion on the terrorist’s floor of the building, killing two more terrorists. The backfire from the explosion rocks our hero and covers him in debris. Wounded, tired, fighting for his life and those of the hostages, McClane huddles in a corner after the explosion and picks up his radio.

Your team members, like McClane, are fighting tooth-and-nail for the best solutions of your customers, investors and partners. While there may not be lives on the line, they are still making many sacrifices for your business.

Clueless Executives Criticize What They Do Not Understand

Deputy Chief of Police Dwayne T. Robinson (left) Plays the Role of a Disconnected Executive

Following our Hero’s counter-strike on the terrorists, Deputy Police Chief Dwayne T. Robinson (Paul Gleason) jumps on the radio and yells at McClane. The Chief exemplifies a disconnected executive who thinks they know what is best, when in reality, they do not understand the situation. Robinson shouts over the radio at McClane:

Now you listen to me, Mister: I don’t know who in the hell you think you are or what you’re doing, but you just destroyed a building! Now we do not want your help. Is that clear? We don’t want your help!

To which McClane responds:

Now you listen to me… …you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Quit being part of the… …problem and put the other guy (Sergeant Al Powell) back on!

Front Line Employees Feel Unappreciated

John McClane, after being verbally assaulted by a clueless executive, explains he feels unappreciated

Our hero – your team member, is covered with dust, tired, injured and bleeding.  John McClane, now heckled by Robinson, tells Sergeant Powell of his frustration, explaining he feels:

Pretty f—ing unappreciated.

Direct Supervisors Encourage and Try to Help

Police Sergeant Al Powell Encourages John McClane - "You hang in there!"

Police Sergeant Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson) represents the dedicated supervisor who believes in his team. Powell has been listening to McClane and trying to help. However, Powell is constrained by his executive leadership and an inability to directly help McClane. Therefore, the best he can do is encourage McClane:

Hey, look, I love you. So do a lot of the other guys. So you hang in there, man – you hear me?! You hang in there!

How You Can Prevent Employees From Feeling Unappreciated

1. Manage at Your Level: Work with your direct reports. Allow the direct managers to lead their teams. Often, executives are not aware of critical reality factors. As a result, the best of intentions can offend employees.

2. Listen to the Front Line Workers: These individuals know the reality of your business where the rubber meets the road. As Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart put it:

The folks on the front lines – the ones who actually talk to the customer – are the only ones who really know what’s going on out there.

3. Listen to Direct Supervisors: They are the most in touch with those front-line workers. Skipping over the “middle manager” layer is only good to collect feedback and listen. This is a terrible way to manage down or give orders.

Question: What other ways do you know to ensure team members do not feel unappreciated?

Last week, the world lost a great man and incredible colleague. According to one news report, it seems a large dump truck collided head on with Jeff’s car. The momentum carried both vehicles off the road, where a fire broke out. A courageous bystander rescued the truck driver but was unable to save Jeff. A tragic loss of a great man.

Jeff managed a large portion of a project I lead last year. I was not fortunate enough to know him beyond work, but the little I knew, I admired. We once shared a brief chat on his interests in servant leadership and I knew we were kindred spirits. I made a note to schedule time to follow up later. Unfortunately, I never made that time.

I could not have predicted this tragedy. Still, I recall him stopping by my office last week and how disappointed I was not to be able to spend more time with him then. A regret now amplified 100 times. While we cannot predict tragedies, we know they could happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Therefore, I come from this experience with some new angles on old leadership questions.

New Perspectives on Old Leadership Questions

Below are important questions for any good leader to ask. Yet, in the light of recent experiences, I have a new perspective on these questions:

1. Are Your Employees Appreciated? We all know it is important, for performance, to ensure employees feel appreciated. Yet, have we considered other reasons it is important they know you appreciate them? Certainly, as one’s life flashes before their eyes few will worry about work. For those left behind though, we will always wonder, “did they know how much I appreciated their contributions?”

2. Do You Promote Work-Life Alignment? Many suggest we must have a good work-life balance. I recommend work-life alignment. Whatever your perspective, do you value employee’s personal life and time commitments? If you lose an employee, it will be too late to fix this issue for that person’s family.

3. Do You Really Know Your Team Members? Employees don’t only want their work to be appreciated, they want to be appreciated as individuals. Jeff had a shared interest in servant leadership – that little I knew – what more did we share? What more could I have learned from him? What more can you learn from the people you work with?

I regret not practicing these questions better myself and challenge myself to do better in the future. What about you? Remember, tragedy can strike anyone, anytime, anywhere – even one of your colleagues.

Thank you for all you did Jeff, we will miss you.

Question: If you suffered an abrupt loss of a coworker, how did it change your perspectives?

Old Main Now Missing an Elm Tree, Courtesy Penn State Live

Yesterday, the Penn State Board of Trustees released the Report Concerning November 9 Decisions. These decisions included the removal of coach Joe Paterno and President Graham Spanier following allegations of sexual assault by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. The report provides details our Penn State family needed to move forward. It also provided examples that servant leaders can learn much from: good and bad.

What the Board of Trustees Got Right

The Board is certainly under a great deal of pressure to get information out and scrutiny to get the message right. They got at least part of it right.

Reinforced Penn State’s Higher Standards

I stated publicly my support for the removal of Joe Paterno as coach and Graham Spanier as University President. This alienated many alumni friends. However, I stand by what wrote, in part because Joe Paterno taught us to expect more than the legal obligations from our leaders, as the report also agreed:

We determined that his (Paterno’s) decision to do his minimum legal duty and not to do more to follow up constituted a failure of leadership by Coach Paterno.

Clarified Intentions

The report also provides clarifications on the Board’s intended actions that were not realized:

the Board… …planned to tell (Paterno) that (1) the Board had decided unanimously to remove him as coach; (2) the Board regretted having to deliver the message over the telephone; and (3) his employment contract would continue, including all financial benefits and his continued status as a tenured faculty member. However, after (the board) communicated the first message, Coach Paterno ended the call, so the second and third messages could not be delivered.

Highlighted the Real Victims

The report repeatedly highlights our accountability and greatest concern is for the children – especially the victims of these alleged, heinous crimes.

Where the Board and Report Failed

Unfortunately, the report was terribly overdue and included no acceptance of the Board’s own accountability.

Timeliness

The report, posted on Penn State’s new website focused at a “More Open University”, reflected little in the way of being more open. This information is owed to our Penn State family. To reflect a more open culture, this information should have appeared within 1 or 2 days after the decision, not 123 days later. The Board missed an opportunity to reassure our family they will be more timely or open. If it required 123 days to get this communication together, approved and distributed, there is little “open” about it.

Acceptance of Own Accountability

As servant leaders to our great University, the Board failed to accept their own role in these tragic events. The report comes across as defensive. This defensive posture, softened by the focus on children and carefully crafted wording did little to assure us the Board learned from their own mistakes. The Board is ultimately accountable for the oversights and failures of organizational leaders. This was conveniently overlooked.

As servant leaders, we expect more of our Board of Trustees. This alleged tragedy reflects a systemic failure of our leadership and our Board of Trustees is ultimately accountable. While I am grateful for the clarifications provided, it seems too little, too late.

What’s Next

On the same Penn State Live site that referenced this report, there is an article on the removal of a giant Elm tree beside Old Main. The Elm lost it’s battle with “elm yellows”. The result is a very different view of the picturesque Old Main landscape. Much like Old Main, the landscape our Penn State family will be forever changed. The question remains though whether more trees must still be removed from  Penn State leadership.

Question: What did you think of the report?

I ride a motorcycle. As a biker, I understand the concept of “look where you want the bike to go”. Because your body movements influence the direction of a motorcycle, it is important to be aware of your posture so you do not lead the vehicle astray. The same can be said in leadership. If you focus your gaze on the negative alone, you will lead your stakeholders there. The key in both motorcycle riding and leadership is to constantly scan for hazards, but not lock your gaze on a single risk.

Near Miss Example – on the Bike

While riding with a more experienced biker, I tried to keep up. In unfamiliar terrain, I watched as my companion raced nearly out of sight. In an attempt to catch up, I found myself taking a turn too fast. The cement lane divider approached rapidly as my bike drifted closer from centrifugal forced. In fear for my life, my gaze locked on the divider and I came closer and closer to the divider. Fortunately, I realized my attention was not on where I wanted the bike to go or how to right the situation. This realization came just in time. I recall being within inches of the divider before safely emerging from the bend.

Near Miss Example – in Business

While working for a particularly challenging manager, I found myself frustrated by an inability to please the boss. Sleepless nights were spent worrying about my future and what I could do to turn things around. Until a conversation with my mentor changed my perspective. He simply said to me, “so what are you going to do about it?” Seems obvious, I know. But in the moment, I had tunnel vision on the bad. I was staying in the depression of the situation rather than seeking the path out. From then, I set myself to look at where I wanted to go: success and new leadership. I re-framed my perspective of success – what I was proud of and what I felt brought glory to God. I also set about on a job search for an organization in which I could bring greater value. Ultimately, I think I emerged from that bend within inches of the divider as well.

So where is your gaze focused? Are you locked onto the negative you fear or are you scanning the horizon for possibilities? Wherever you look – that is where you will lead the organization. Keep looking for negatives to avoid and positives to steer toward.

Question: What was your near miss that you avoided by looking elsewhere?

Bleeding out (“exsanguination” in medical terms) is death caused by the loss of blood from a wound. In business, the term could be used to describe a similar death. Wounded by one event, the organization fails to recover and slowly bleeds to death.

Businesses often forget about the culture, and ultimately, they suffer for it because you can’t deliver good service from unhappy employees. – Tony Hsieh

Types of Business Injuries

The wound may be an external injury:

• Bad economy
• Foreign competition
• Unfavorable weather

Or the injury could be internal:

• Poor culture
• Toxic leadership
• Politics

Whatever the injury source, the bleeding can be stopped. After the organization experiences the initial injury, it is important that leaders recognize the impact, identify the source of the bleeding and put a stop to it.

Types of Blood Loss

Emergency Procedures for an Organization Bleeding Out

1. Triage

2. Diagnose

3. Treatment

4. Recovery

Don’t Just Sit There

Whatever you do, don’t just sit there. Allowing your organization to bleed out is like a medic standing beside a dying patient, watching them slowly fade away. In the long-term, you would be equally responsible for the slow death of the company. Stand up. Say something. Take action.

Question: What wound are you allowing to bleed out at your organization?

I’ve hired externally many times in my career. In some instances, it was necessary due to excessive growth or the entry-level nature of a role. In other cases, it was because I failed to develop internal team members.

When External Hires are Required

When I was at an educational institution, we had to grow very rapidly. The IT organization was already understaffed and the company’s growth predictions were to double within the year. As a result, there was no way we could develop the necessary skills in people and still meet our business objectives. We had to hire externally.

When External Hires are Not Required

In contrast, I’ve also hired externally in situations where I believe we could have developed people internally to fulfill the role. In these situations, I feel it was a failure of our organization – myself included – to properly plan for the future. When we hire externally, for a position that we could have filled through people development, we send strong messages to existing employees:

1. You’re not as important as a stranger: In essence, we’d rather spend time and money recruiting outside our organization than develop you.
2. We’ve seen what you can do and we’d rather keep you where you are: Many employees fear being boxed into a role – always perceived as the role rather than the person. We reinforce this when we hire externally.
3. Don’t bother trying too hard, you’re not going to get that promotion anyway: If internal employees are not promoted over outsiders, why should the internal employee bother working harder to be recognized for new opportunities?

Now, there is one positive messages for these hires:

New insights: Every company I worked for that hired externally, used this message. They said, “it’s important that we continue to bring new insights into our organization. External hires help us do that.”

However, it has been my experience that the “new insight” argument is often more spin than authentic intent. I would argue there are plenty of ways to bring new insights without hiring externally. Examples include external training, job-sharing and creative partnering with other organizations. More on these ideas in an upcoming post.

Avoiding Unnecessary External Hires

I’m not always opposed to external hires. After all, I myself, benefited from being an external hire. Regardless, I do think it is important to avoid excessive and unnecessary external hire practices. Here are a couple suggestions:

1. Two Deep: In all key roles, where possible, ensure you are at least two deep in personnel. That way, if one person is promoted or transferred there is still someone to do the work while you train the replacement.
2. Cross Train: Where you are especially lean, cross train similar roles. For example, two individuals in the marketing department – one who works in traditional media and one works online, can cross train each other on their tools and contacts.
3. Assess Growth Regularly: Make sure you always look at what you need in terms of additional staff in the next 6, 12, 18 & 24 months.
4. Assess Departure Risks Regularly: When conducting team performance reviews, assess which employees you believe are at risk for departure (hopefully few). For those that are high risk to leave the organization, who could replace them?

Dear Mr. Whiner,

Please, stop complaining about what you permit. I don’t appreciate you stopping by my office every day, disrupting my work and meetings to complain about that which you are not willing to work on yourself. If you are interested in discussing solutions and influencing positive changethough, I am all ears.

Your Complaints

Your complaints are often about people – especially leadership – and how they “just don’t understand”. However, have you tried to help them understand or asked them why they act the way they do? Other times, you complain about our processes and how tedious, repetitive or bureaucratic they are. But, have you suggested improvements to the process owners? More important, have you followed up on these recommendations? Changing people, perceptions and processes is not easy – if it were, we’d live in Utopia.

Leaders Invest Energy in Change

Leaders do not complain about what they permit. They understand not every battle is worth fighting, but if you’re not prioritizing the effort to fight it, you should not waste energy complaining about it. Great leaders serve stakeholders by investing energy in positive change. I believe in you. So, I want us to help each other by holding one another accountable for taking action toward positive change. I”m not perfect and will slip from time-to-time as well. Please, call me on it. I am confident if we put our heads together, we can accomplish great things.

So, the next time you stop by my office, let’s change the conversation. Don’t complain about what you permit. Instead, let’s invest our energy in positive progress. Thank you for stopping by. Now, what can we improve today?

Sincerely,
Your Accountability Partner

With the increase in outsourcing, specialization and globalization, it seems we say “goodbye” to team members more often. Whatever the reason for departure, you want them to leave with a great impression of you and your organization. To ensure these important moments are not overlooked,  schedule a meeting to say goodbye and offer feedback, especially praise.

Making Time

I just had a meeting request appear that reads something like the following:

Subject: Please take a moment to thank ‘Jane’ for her contributions
Detail: This week is Jane’s last week on our account. Please take a moment to thank her for the hard work, dedication and innovation she brought to our team.

It is too easy to forget these critical communications. I am ashamed to admit, I often find myself following up, after someone’s left. The message usually reads something like, “Sorry we did not get that lunch in before you left! I hope the transition went well and….” Then I thank them for all they did. However, that is not a good impression. After all, these individuals may think, “if my departure was not important enough for him to remember or make the time, how much could he really miss me?”

By scheduling the time, you avoid this trap. Booking a meeting ensures your calendar is clear and you are reminded to send the message before they depart.

Get the Team Involved

While setting up that meeting, invite the team. Include anyone who worked with the person or benefited from their contributions. The point is not even that you must have a physical gathering (though that would be ideal). Instead, you book time on calendars to remind and enable people to construct and send the message. Frankly, this is how I first got the idea – when my friend and colleague, John Waymel, invited me to say thank you and adieu to one of our outstanding team members.

Include a Few Pointers

Depending upon your audience, you may want to include some pointers. For example, the meeting invite could capture highlights of the person’s contributions. In addition, you may want to remind folks how long they’d been with the organization, or where they are headed next. These points help make the notes more personal.

Leave a Great Impression

Whatever the case, remember to leave a positive impression. As your mother always said, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” The point is, be genuine. Use technology and planning to ensure you and the team provide the sincere, heartfelt gratitude departing team members deserve.

Question: What other tips do you have for providing an appropriate Goodbye and feedback message to departing team members?

In previous posts, I defined a seagull manager and how to handle one. In short, seagull managers: Fly in, make a lot of noise, dump on everyone and fly out. Here, I offer suggestions for holding a seagull manager accountable and fixing the behavior.

Reader Ryan McKinney asks:

Any strategies for helping seagull managers realize they do this?  Or actually holding them accountable for what they say and do?

Below is what has worked for me in the past. How you hold a Seagull Manager accountable will depend largely on the degree of trust you have with this individual and the organization.

High Trust Environment

If you trust the seagull manager, it is best to tackle the issue head on.

Fly In

Pull the individual aside and explain how surprise feedback is helpless. Instead,  encourage them to participate earlier.

Make a lot of Noise

Emphasize to the seagull manager how alarms generate unnecessary work. Excessive alarm requires the team to respond with reports and extra status updates. That energy is better invested in resolving issues.

Dump on Everyone

Dumping on everyone reflects a lack of basic people skills. Therefore, I encourage these individuals to bring all feedback for the team directly to the individual (in private) or the appropriate manager. Public reprimands only reduce morale.

Fly Out

Don’t let this happen. Hold one-on-one’s with the manager until the matters are resolved. Explain that any manager who raises issues remains as part of the solution until it is resolved.

A Single Question

When in doubt, this single  question works:

Yes, <insert Seagull Manager name> I understand your concerns, but I am seeking solutions. How would you handle this situation? Do you have any advice for the team?

I tried this with one seagull manager and there was immediate silence. However, from that point forward, the individual always came prepared with recommendations. They moved from being part of the problem to part of the solution.

Low Trust Environment

Unfortunately, low trust environments or individuals require different finesse. Here are some alternative options:

Escalate

The seagull manager is often a peer to your boss or above. In these cases, raise the matter to the appropriate “level”. Explain the issue to your boss and ask them to handle it. When the seagull manager has an issue in the future, they should take it directly to their peer.

Alternate

If you know someone else you trust, with whom the seagull manager also has a degree of respect, approach that individual. Ask for advice or see if they are willing to engage the seagull manager.

Human Resources

If your HR department is trusted, talk to your representative. Ask for feedback and / or encourage this be addressed through formal feedback channels.

Anonymous Feedback

As a last resort, you can always try anonymous feedback. These are often in the form of suggestion boxes or Q&A session inputs.

Nobody likes a Seagull Manager. They hurt the team, decrease morale and cost time in wasted effort. Therefore, it is best for everyone involved that these inappropriate behaviors be fixed. As a servant leader, you owe it to the team to identify the seagull managers, deal with the person and hold them accountable.

Question: Have you been able to fix a seagull manager or hold them accountable? What other tips do you have?

Yoda (896 BBY - 4 ABY)

Perhaps the most iconic mentoring leader on the silver screen, Yoda is an excellent example of great leadership. Here are 7 leadership lessons from the great servant leader, Yoda:

1. You are not the hero, but your Padawan may be

Yes, Yoda is cool. However, he’s not the popular hero of the series. Instead, he is the driving force behind the heroes, Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Similarly, great leaders focus on the future. They build their experience, knowledge and wisdom into others. It brings comfort to the best leaders to see their padawan (mentees) succeed.

2. You may be misunderstood

When he first meets Yoda, Luke Skywalker underestimates him:

Yoda: Help you I can. Yes, mmmm.
Luke: I don’t think so. I’m looking for a great warrior.
Yoda: Ohhh. Great warrior… Wars not make one great.

To further the misunderstanding, Yoda’s way of talking is different than most. Great leaders are often misunderstood by others. The servant leader’s emphasis on service over power and humility over vanity goes against the popular notion. You may not be tiny, green, ancient and speak funny, but you will be misunderstood.

3. If you’re not careful, your organization may produce a Darth Vader

Yoda expresses concern about young Anakin Skywalker. Sure enough, the worst fears come true and Anakin becomes the evil Darth Vader. Great leaders have a great deal of accountability when mentoring and raising the future generations of their organization. Use care in when hiring, mentoring and promoting.

Yoda: Twisted by the Dark Side, young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is… Consumed by Darth Vader.

4. You live in the muck

Yoda lived on the Dagobah System when Luke Skywalker finds him. This swamp world is full of mud, muck, grime and filth. The home of Yoda is a tiny mud hut. Like Yoda’s home, great leaders do not live in an ivory tower. To the contrary, they invest a lot of time in the thick of things.  In serving their stakeholders, great leaders are not afraid to get their hands dirty.

Luke: I want my lamp back. I’m gonna need it to get out of this slimy mudhole.
Yoda: Mudhole? Slimy? My home this is!

5. You’re work is never done

Yoda was more than 900 years old when he met his last student (Luke). In fact, even after he died, Yoda continued to coach and mentor the younger Skywalker. Great leaders understand that work is never done. Work-life alignment is important, but the work is unending.

6. Sometimes, you have to kick evil’s butt yourself

Ancient by human terms, but still spirited and full of Force, Yoda knows when he must pick up the light saber and do battle himself. Great leaders focus on building others to extend the culture of service and the positive influence of their organizations. However, when necessary, leaders who serve are not afraid to join in the hand-to-hand combat of their organization.

Darth Sidious: I have waited a long time for this moment, my little green friend. At last, the Jedi are no more.
Yoda: Not if anything to say about it I have!

7. It’s up to you

Like Yoda, great leaders understand the future is up to them. If Yoda had not gone into exile on Dagobah, patiently waiting for the right opportunity, all could have been lost. Yoda was the last hope for the people against the Dark Force. He had to train Luke to conquer the Emporer and Darth Vader. Similarly, it’s up to you, as a great leader, to conquer the toxic leadership so many organizations are fraught with today.

If you realize it’s up to you, please, check out our servant leadership manifesto to learn more about humble leadership through service.

Question: What other leadership examples do you see from Yoda or other Star Wars characters?

Southwest Airlines (LUV) announced the 39th consecutive year of profitability yesterday. The company has been a role model of servant leadership since its founding by Herb Kelleher (and others). During the financial earnings call, CEO Gary Kelly, CFO Laura Wright and Executive VP Robert (Bob) E. Jordan reflected the company’s commitment to servant leadership.

Improved Results by Acquired AirTran

Southwest is in the process acquiring former competitor, AirTran Airways. During mergers and acquisitions it is common for companies, especially the acquired, to experience a dip in operational performance. Bucking that trend though, AirTran reflected it’s best operational results ever.

Compensation and Productivity

Although Southwest has the highest productivity numbers in the industry, analysts naturally challenged executives to identify opportunities for improvement. In response, Kelly noted that their pay rates are significantly higher than others. Yet, Southwest makes up for these costs by being more productive. The CEO noted the company was not without some waste though. Kelly spoke of opportunities to improve productivity that included both people and asset changes. It was clear Southwest would not practice “soft management” – a common misconception of servant leadership.

Gratitude to Employees

I’ve never heard an earnings call where executive gratitude toward employees was as prominent as at Southwest. Kelly’s comments included frequent references to his appreciation for the unions, their hard work and dedication. In addition, the CEO’s sincerity was evident when he expressed excitement at the first round of AirTran employees officially joining the Southwest “family”.

Not Without Challenges

When asked how the company would address future challenges, Kelly was clear: they would avoid shrinking fleets or staff at all costs. The fleet, he felt, had plenty of opportunities for deployment in a different way. One example provided was “stretching the day out” by adding flights earlier or later in the day. As for downsizing employees, Kelly mentioned it would be “very painful to downsize”. He then continued, there is a “cost to good will with customers and employees” (when downsizing). Any reduction in staff or fleet would be Kelly’s, “least favorite tool if looking for ways to sustain or improve ROI”. He then summarized any reductions were, “not in the cards right now”.

Servant leadership proponents are grateful for the examples and model set by Southwest Airlines. In an industry fraught with strong competition, rapidly increasing costs and poor personnel policies, Southwest’s servant leadership bucks the trends. Clearly, servant leadership principles have the potential to deliver outstanding business results.

 Question: What other businesses exemplified servant leadership in 2011?

Top Row: Steve Jobs, Herb Kelleher; Bottom Row: Steve Wozniak, Tim Cook, Colleen Barrett, Gary Kelly

I am a fan of many Apple products and believe Steve Jobs played a critical role in Apple’s success. However, following his passing, there were many people who referred to him as a great leader. He was – if you refer to technology and innovation. However, if you refer to people or organizational leadership, I believe there are better examples.

The synonymous association of Steve Jobs with Apple’s success disturbs me as a classic example of hero worship in business. More important, I fear the message all this hero worship sends to our next generation of leaders. I want to ensure our young leaders do not confuse hero worship with great leadership.

What is Hero Worship?

Hero worship in business refers to the attribution of organizational success to a single individual. Often, this means exaggerating the results of that person. As a result, an individual becomes the face of an entire company and the organization’s success or failure rests upon their shoulders.

The Problem with Hero Worship

There are many problems with hero worship in leadership, including:

1. Implies the leader alone is responsible for the success. There is little or no sharing of the success with the many people that made it possible. Industry experts know other individuals played a critical role in Apple’s success, especially Steve Wozniak. However, popular culture sees Steve Jobs as the lone icon atop the company.

2. Lacks sustainability. Without a successor at least equal in stature, accomplishment and fame, success associated to that leader is rarely sustained. Insiders know Tim Cook, Job’s successor, is an outstanding executive in his own right. However, the limelights consumed by Jobs left little awareness of Mr. Cook’s contributions and capabilities.

3. Singular Focus: Most hero worship praises an individual for a select few attributes. In Jobs case, I’d suggest this was creativity, innovation and technology. However, he was not a man I would consider exemplary in other attributes, such as character or people leadership.

The Benefits of Servant Leadership

There are plenty of resources to cover the extensive benefits of servant leadership. In contrast specifically to hero worship though, the benefits of servant leadership include:

1. Builds up the organization: Servant leaders place the success of the organization, first. This often means the leader does not get celebrity status or their own paparazzi. However, the organization as a whole is recognized as a success. This is seen in Southwest Airlines frequent recognition as the leader of their industry and the comparably infrequent features of Herb Kelleher.

2. Humbly shares success: When recognition does come to the leader, the first comment is often in reference to the people who really delivered the success – the front line workers. Herb Kelleher often referred to the critical role unions played in the company’s success. In fact, he was known to join the baggage handlers on holidays – showing up to help them and show his support.

3. Prioritizes sustainability: Sustainability is a critical attribute for servant leaders. In Kelleher and Southwest this was reflected in Herb’s passing the baton to Colleen Barrett, his long time partner and Gary Kelly. Neither Colleen nor Gary were publicity hounds, but they knew The Southwest way and were well understood as competent successors.

Lesson For Next Generation Leaders

I hope we continue to study Mr. Jobs as an outstanding example of innovation and an inspirational success to many in the creative and technology fields. He was a great success by these and other standards. However, if you seek to practice sustainable success that builds your people up and seeks to deliver results to both the bottom lines of your company as well as broader benefits to your community, please seek out what it means to serve as you lead.

Question: Do you agree or disagree? I welcome the feedback.

It is a common occurrence now: coffee shop patrons holding their trash in hand, searching in vain for a garbage can. However, there are no trash cans for patrons. Lemonjello’s pursues a zero waste policy. To do so, they’ve removed public trash cans and asked customers to place any trash in the dish bin. Employees then sort recycling and compost materials.

This popular hangout for Hope College students is located in downtown Holland, Michigan. It also happens to be one of my favorite haunts. Lemonjello’s not only practices what they preach, they educate their customers at the same time. Signs throughout the cafe remind visitors why they choose sustainable, fair trade and equal exchange practices.

Sustainability

The only place you will find a trash can is in the rest rooms. There, you will find two. One is clearly labeled, “paper towels” with a note in parenthesis “(We Compost Them)” and another labeled, “All Other Trash”. With an otherwise controlled absence of public trash cans in the cafe, Lemonjello’s may be the most sustainable eatery in Southwest Michigan.

Equal Exchange

The positive impact on the community does not stop with sustainability. Lemonjello’s also uses the Equal Exchange roaster. From Lemonjello’s website:

Equal Exchange is a 100% worker-owned co-op itself and only deals with small farmer co-ops that are democratically run and that use Equal Exchange’s support and programs to build back into their communities.

Visit equalexchange.coop to learn more.

Fair Trade

Equal Exchange and Lemonjellos both practice Fair Trade:

Fair Trade is a way of doing business that ultimately aims to keep small farmers an active part of the world marketplace, and aims to empower consumers to make purchases that support their values.

This local coffee shop leads by example. By practicing what they believe in, sharing the information and educating their consumers, Lemonjellos is a cafe dedicated to serving their community more than a great cup of coffee. The next time you’re in Holland, Michigan, I encourage you to check them out. You will walk away inspired by more than the caffeine.

Question: What local business do you know that leads by example?

Donald Trump is the epitome of power-based leadership. For example, the man wanted to trademark his catch phrase, “You’re fired!”, which would require every organization using this phrase to pay him tribute. Therefore, “The Donald” makes for an excellent study on the personal effects of power-based leadership.

Former Fan

When I graduated college, I idolized Donald Trump. At that time, entrepreneurs were making millions in new ventures and I wanted in. I studied Trump and admired his dominant success in business. In fact, I was thrilled when I met Mr. Trump, albeit briefly, during my interview for season 2 of The Apprentice. Then, my perspectives on leadership matured. It became less about the money and more about the people.

Contrasting Leadership

As my experience in the business world grew, I discovered two contrasting styles of leadership: the toxic, command-and-conquer  style and servant leadership. The former rarely lasted long, while servant leadership proved the most successful for the greatest period of time. This was my introduction to servant leadership and the evaporation of my adoration for Donald Trump.

Donald and His Frown

So it came to pass that I thought of my former inspiration less and less. Until, one day, I realized he could still teach me a lot about leadership – even if I did not believe believe in his methods. His face appeared on a search result about leadership and I noticed a frown that was very familiar. I was more used to seeing Donald Trump frown, than smile. For a celebrity of his stature, who is often posed for professional photographs. This seemed odd.

So I did another search – for photos of Donald Trump. What I found confirmed my suspicions. Through roughly twenty pages of photographs of Donald Trump, I found only about 15% of the images contained a smile. The majority were frowns.

Exceptions to Consider

Sure, Donald Trump seems equal parts actor and businessman of late. He has a reputation for being a tough manage to uphold. Furthermore, some people simply aren’t much for smiling. Still, it seems to me, when looking at the face of Donald Trump, one rarely sees happiness.

Does Power-Based Leadership Bring Happiness?

This is no scientific study. Perhaps Donald Trump is happy – he certainly says he is. However, I’ve come to realize most people reflect their happiness in their face. I see happiness in most public figures. Yet, when I look into the face of the man who epitomizes power-based leadership, I see frustration and the frown that dominates his media presence.

Question: Do you think power-based leadership creates happiness?

I know your frustration. I feel your pain. Sitting there, hearing some self-absorbed, toxic leader drone on about one bad practice after another. Yet, you know there is a better way. I’m here to tell you, you’re not alone and I have some theme music to inspire you – “The Outsiders” by Need to Breathe.

The Outsiders by Need to Breathe (Acoustic)

(Difficulty viewing video? Watch on Youtube).

Make no mistake, servant leadership proponents and practitioners are outsiders. Sadly, defacto leadership is power-based and often even toxic in nature. As a result, it is common for us to feel like we are on the outside, even if we have a better solution.

Theme Song

Have you ever thought your work would seem more exciting if it was put to theme music? How many cinematic moments – especially those in libraries and offices – would seem drab and boring, were it not for inspirational music in the background?

Well, servant leader, we’re here to inspire you. The servant leader movement is important and you are a critical component of it. So the next time you feel beat down; the next time you are on the verge of giving in; the next time you think, “maybe I should just concede and join the toxic leadership drones”, take heart. Stop, listen to this song and remember, we are the Outsiders.

Leadership Inspiration from The Outsiders

While leadership (at least, alone) was not likely the focus when Need to Breathe wrote this song, it includes great lyrics for your inspiration, including:

“Stand tall but running thin, I’m wearing thin”

“I’ve been wondering if this starts sinking, would we stand our ground? After everything we’ve learned, we’ve finally come to terms: we are the outsiders”

“I’m not leaving without a fight. I’ve got my holsters around my sides. Just cause I’m wrong that don’t make you right. It’s not right.”

“On the outside, you found a home.”

“On the outside, there’s more to see. On the outside, you choose to be…”

Fighting against the tide of bad leadership practices can be draining. I hope this little inspiration is helpful for you, as it has been for me. So the next time you’re struggling, don’t cave. Put on this song and create some inspiration for the soundtrack to your servant leadership.

Question: What other songs belong on a “servant leadership” soundtrack?

Today, many employers offer Employee Assistance Programs, but few do it right. Here’s how I see the difference between an Employee Assistance Program that is provided to serve the organization and one that is provided to really serve the employees:

What is an Employee Assistance Program?

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are services offered, typically through a third party, to employees experiencing difficulties that go beyond basic health matters. For example, counseling sessions may be offered to employees experiencing stress, a death in the family, struggling with other emotional challenges or battling substance abuse. Sometimes counseling and education is offered specifically for people struggling with coworker conflict or even personal financial challenges.

Employee Assistance Programs that Serve the Organization

All EAPs seem designed to help employees. However, the reality is these services also provide many benefits to the employer. For example, studies have shown that companies with EAPs often see lower medical expenses. As a result, most health insurance providers offer a reduced rates for employers with EAPs in place. Furthermore, in cases of employee lawsuits, an EAP is often used to defend the company’s concern for the employee. As a result, the lowest-cost EAPs are often perceived by employers to pay for themselves and thus, offered as a free benefit to employees.

Here are some signs that your EAP may be in place to serve the organization, rather than employees:

1. Services Offered via Phone Only: We live in a generation of outsourcing. It’s no secret that providing counseling over a phone, where the counselor can be physically located anywhere, is much less expensive.

2. Limited Awareness: The employer does not promote the program and employees are often surprised to learn of available services. This suggests the employer is more interested in saving money than in helping employees.

3. Limited Duration: Most EAPs have time constraints. However, those with an especially short duration of free service are lower cost and therefore more focused on the employer’s interests.

4. Employee Initiated Only: The personal matters addressed by many EAPs are not often issues for which managers should be involved. However, if Human Resources and managers are not trained to recognize opportunities and share the benefits of an EAP, the program is likely primarily meeting employer needs.

Employee Assistance Programs that Serve Employees

EAPs that really focus on serving the needs of the employees look different. Examples of these EAPs include:

1. In Person Services: If counselors are local, the company is likely investing more to increase employee comfort level and quality of the services offered.

2. Frequent or Prominent Promotion: Having an executive speak about the program in a major company meeting has a much greater impact that a flyer in the Human Resource office.

3. Longer Duration: In contrast to the employer-focused EAPs, one focused on employees will typically last longer or, ideally, indefinitely.

4. Manager or Human Resources Initiated: An employer that really seeks to serve employee educates managers and Human Resources on EAP benefits and opportunities. More important, managers receive formal training on how to identify an employee in need of an EAP.

Be grateful for any Employee Assistance Program your employer offers. However, if you feel the program is more focused on helping the organization, consider speaking with your human resources representative about shifting that emphasis.

Question: Do you think your Employee Assistance Program is intended to serve the organization or the employee? Why or why not?