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?

Part of my mission is to spread servant leadership awareness. Therefore, I greatly appreciate folks on Twitter who spread servant leadership content. Last year, I highlighted 5 individuals to whom I was especially grateful for their ongoing support and promotion of these principles. This year, I’ve expanded the list to 10 and created a more formal recognition. Here are this year’s winners:

10. Axiom News

Axiom’s news network is full of great information that is worth sharing. Several times this year, they’ve taken a story that may have only been seen by servant leadership proponents and shared it with a broader audience. I am grateful to them for their contiuing covereage of our movement.

Twitter Bio

AxiomNews: We are called to co-create a strengths-based life-giving news network for a renewed and thriving world. Tweets share news on movements making a difference.

9. Greenleaf Center

The universally recognized organization promoting servant leadership is expanding their online presence. This year reflected a notable uptick in their presence on Twitter and other social media channels.

Twitter Bio

@GreenleafCenter: The Greenleaf Center promotes the awareness, understanding, and practice of servant leadership by individuals and organizations.

8. Jeff Miller

Speaking of the Greenleaf Center…  I first met Jeff at the Greenleaf Servant Leadership conference several years ago. Since that time, I’ve been impressed by his growing influence on Twitter. I’m always excited to see what servant leadership content he is sharing.

Twitter Bio

@JeffMiller79: Builder, Connector of Human Leadership Networks. Focus on: collaboration, leadership, learning, complexity, & change.

 7. Lazarus Ross

Mr. Ross is a great example of a servant leader proponent who embeds the principles in everyday life. He also possesses an especially innovative mind with an eye toward business.

Twitter Bio

@LazarusRoss: Christ-Follower, Toastmaster, Financial Intelligence Freak, Education Reform Activist, Leadership Fanatic, Networker, Entrepreneur

6. Ken Blanchard

The first returning member from last year’s list, Ken actually leads one of the organizations our number 1 contributor this year hails from. Ken’s appeal for and support of the servant leadership movement is undeniable.

Twitter Bio

@KenBlanchard: Speaker, Business Guru, and Author of over 50 books, including The One Minute Manager.

 5. Laurie Beth Jones

Laurie Beth Jones and her team have that instant, trusted advisor appeal. Part of her core message includes an appeal for servant leadership principles.

Twitter Bio

@LaurieBethJones: Best-Selling author and speaker (Jesus CEO, The Path). Changing the World one mission at a time. Assisted here by Brandi and team speaking@lauriebethjones.com

4. Dr. Jack King

Jack is last year’s top tweeter. His presentations on servant leadership are very unique. I especially like his emphasis on native american leadership lessons and quotes. This year, Dr. King’s Collective Voice at ServantHearts.com focused its attention more specifically on empowerment. However, he still continues to share great servant leadership perspectives.

Twitter Bio

@DrJackKing: We are put in this world not to be better than the next man but rather help him be better than he was when we met. Homeschool dad. Love is the answer.

3. JT Jackson

Mr. Jackson is another returning member from last year’s list and still holds the best Twitter name. “Servant Tweeter” often shares the latest and greatest of the servant leadership movement. But that’s not all. JT is also a great servant leadership practitioner, as he works to bring greater educational opportunities to his community.

Twitter Bio

@ServantTweeter: Servant First, Leader Always; Life Coach; Inspirational Speaker; Good Guy

2. James Strock

James wrote Serve To Lead and books on both Reagan and Roosevelt’s leadership. I often find myself nodding in agreement with his posts and those he shares from others.

Twitter Bio

@JamesStrock: Serve to Lead® Inc. Businessman, Speaker & Citizen Servant in fields of 21st Century Leadership Development & Sustainability | Clean Tech.

1. S. Chris Edmonds

I found Chris by chance on Twitter and am glad I did. Chris’s content through Ken Blanchard companies and his own blog is frequently among the best servant leadership material. Chris has his pulse on the servant leadership movement and keeps us updated whenever he finds something worth sharing.

Twitter Bio

@SCEdmonds: Speaker, author, senior consultant with @kenblanchard, author #CORPORATECULTUREtweet & Leading At A Higher Level, @JonesAndRaine member.

Criteria for Top Servant Leadership Tweeters

Congratulations to those recognized this year! If you did not make the list, there is a good chance I just missed you in my consolidation effort. Please let me know of anyone you feel should be added, with a comment below. While these results are entirely subjective and at my own discretion, here are the rough criteria I used for the selection and placement:

1. Servant Leadership Promotion: The individual or organization must promote “servant leadership”. There are countless individuals promoting the principles and ideals of servant leadership under some other name or terminology. Unfortunately, that group is simply too large for me to capture and reflect here.

2. Frequency: References to servant leadership must be frequent. The higher the frequency, the higher the placement on this list, generally speaking.

3. Activity: The account must be currently active and not fully automated.

Recognition

This year’s top servant leadership tweeters receive formal recognition in the form of a Top Servant Leadership Tweeter badge, as displayed below. If you are among the winners and need any assistance with displaying the badge, please contact me for additional support.

Directions:

To include the badge on your own site, simply insert the following code snippet where you desire the badge to display:

1. Large (175×192, 44kb), PNG Badge:

<a href=”http://ModernServantLeader.com”><img src=”http://modernservantleader.com/images/badges/msl-award-toptweeter-2011-web.png” style=”border-style: none”/></a>

2. Small (100×109, 6kb), JPG Badge:

<a href=”http://ModernServantLeader.com”><img src=”http://modernservantleader.com/images/badges/msl-award-toptweeter-2011-small-web2.jpg” style=”border-style: none”/></a>

Please modify the link however you like. If you need another size of the graphic (it is currently 175×192), just contact me at the link above.

Question: Who did I miss? Who else on Twitter is a big servant leadership proponent?

So you’re fed up with the culture of your organization. You’ve made this much clear. Whether talking to your trusted friends within the company or your spouse and friends outside the office, you routinely complain about:

• How nobody cares about the people
• Backtabbing has become an art and
• Nobody knows what it means to be excited about the products and services

Great. So what are you doing about it?

What you’re doing about it is amplifying the problem. That’s right – you are making the matter worse. You’re not helping. In fact, you are part of the problem.

What do you think you achieve by complaining? You show each person you speak to yet one more example of the growing problem. You remind them – perhaps even those who thought it was starting to get better – that the problems remain.

What if instead you chose to focus on the positive? For example, how fortunate you are to be employed at all in these trying times? Or, what if you talk about the positive attributes of your products rather than focusing only on the negative? Let’s look at two examples:

Negative Ned

Negative Ned works for a company prducing the “Mia Pet”, a competitor to the famous Chia Pet line. Ned’s frustrated because the company’s passed him over for promotion time and again. He doesn’t trust his boss and thinks the company’s lost any concern for the employees. So when his friend, Inquiring Irene asks him how things are going, Negative Ned responds:

Terrible. This company just doesn’t get it. My  boss is a jerk and our product is terrible. It’s no surprise everybody buys the Chia Pet instead of our Mia Pet – ours leaks more water and leaves little marks. You know, we just don’t seem to care about quality anymore.

Positive Paul

Positive Paul works for Mia Pet as well. He meets up with his friends, Inquiring Irene and  Negative Ned for drinks. Having missed the previous conversation, he takes an opportunity to bring Inquiring Irene up to speed on all the changes at Mia Pet:

You should see it, Irene – we’re fnally going to stick it to those Chia Pet monopolists! People always complained that Mia Pets leaked too much water and left marks, but now we have a solution. The Mia Pet Holder rests under your Mia Pet and with an optional expansion pack, can even grow new plants on it.

Impact on Results

If Negative Ned were all Irene heard, she’d not likely by the product. In fact, all the Inquiring Irene’s of the world who spoke to Negtive Neds, would not buy Mia Pets. Sales would continue to suffer. Declining revenues would further erode budgets and reduce benefits, resulting in further unihappiness by Ned and spawning more Neds.

If Positive Paul were all Irene heard, she’d likely buy the product on the spot, with the holder and new expansion pack. All the Irene’s, buying more, would bolster Mia Pet’s revenues. Increased budgets would drive further benefits and marketing. Before long, Chia Pet goes the way of the Pet Rock and Mia Pet would become the new monopoly in cheesy holiday gifts.

An oversimplification? Sure. But this is done to make a point. If you routinely complain about the negative you only make matters worse. Instead, if you authentically focus on the positive, you raise awareness of the good and inspire positive notions in others.

Question: So which are you, a Negative Ned or Positive Paul?

The Scenario: An Unrealistic Demand

While working for a large, rapidly expanding non-profit, I was tasked with upgrading the organization’s technology. We anticipated doubling in scale over 12 months. Adding to the challenge was an already understaffed technology department, supporting antiquated technology. The task was daunting, but we had an amazing team.

My boss, the Chief Financial Officer, set lofty goals. However, a record of successes quickly built the organization’s confidence in our team.

As we neared a critical turning point in the year, an unrealistic demand was placed on me and the team for which I was accountable. The requirement was to replace the primary software tool of the company, in less than a month’s time. I was shocked by the expectation.

The already overburdened technology team had no bandwidth and the CFO would not accept changing priorities of other efforts. A replacement of such a critical tool would typically require months of planning alone. Yet I was being commanded to completely replace the system in a matter of weeks. I refused, insisting instead that we limped along on the antiquated system for one more season.

What Happened: Disaster – Fired

When I refused to support the initiative, I was given two options: do it, or lose my job. Unfortunately, my family was dependent upon my income. I saw no other choice and worked furiously to develop the best plan possible.

Those weeks felt like a scene from a horror movie where the victims run like crazy, but the slowly lumbering assailant remains steps away. I saw no way the project could end well.

As usage of the new system grew, failures increased. Eventually, the system failed completely – a result of poor planning, insufficient resources and inadequate training. Ultimately, I was called into the CFO’s office and asked for my resignation.

What I Learned: You Can’t Lead What You Need

I should have resigned the moment the CFO insisted on the project. I never would have though, given my family’s financial position at the time.

Had I volunteered my resignation at that moment there were two possible outcomes:

1. The CFO backed off his insistence: I remained employed there and we addressed the solution properly at a later time.
2. My resignation was accepted:  The organization had no one to lead the effort and would likely delay the replacement until a later date – when it could have been properly addressed.

For the organization, either outcome would have been better.

Three Lessons

It may have been the hard way, but I learned many lessons from this event, including:

1. You cannot lead what you need: If you feel you need the job you have, it will be much more difficult to lead in that role. Creating a sufficient savings to depend upon in times of crises, building a strong network and maintaining confidence in your ability to find alternate employment will help you lead more by needing less.

2. Build relationships at all levels: I also realized that I trusted the CFO to do what was right. However, he faced his own pressures. Ensuring strong relationships at all levels will help you avoid depending on a single individual (even your boss) in critical times.

3. Always have a backup: I knew the project would fail. Therefore, I should have invested more of the team’s effort in a back-out plan. As Mark Sanborn said in Up Down or Sideways:

“It is too late to add a backup chute once you’ve left the plane.”

This concludes the third and final post on My Great Failures and the lessons I learned. I hope you’re able to learn from my experience and save yourself some of  the same challenges.

Question: What other lessons do you see in my failure?

The Scenario: A Bad Investment

As I write this, I live in a rental home in Michigan. Meanwhile, my home in NY is listed at 25% below what we payed for it 6 years ago. In fact, my wife and I invested much of our savings on improvements to help move the property. Yet, this financial loss could have been avoided, if I only followed my instincts.

What Happened: I Failed to Trust My Instincts

As my wife and I moved from Boston to NY, we struggled to find a home. Westchester County NY, where we were to settle, is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country. Ideal for NYC commuters, yet nestled in rolling hills along the Hudson river and minutes from farmland and state forests, it is beautiful. As a result, the few houses on the market were incredibly expensive.

When we finally found one that met our needs, I was sticker shocked. The listing price was more than I ever thought I’d even consider paying for a home. Yet this was a modest 3 bedroom with a small yard.

My instincts told me to run, but we managed to convince ourselves otherwise. A market study, home inspection and consultation with friends and family all reassured us this was okay. I still remember the words of wisdom from one family member:

Always buy the most home you can afford, because the value always goes up.

So much for always.

As I contemplated the investment, I was constantly reassuring myself we were doing the right thing. I was anxious to get into a home after living in an efficiency in Manhattan for several months. I wanted to settle with my wife. Yet throughout, I heard a small voice screaming, “are you nuts?! The mortgage payments are ridiculous!”

What I Learned: Trust Your Instincts

Because I chose to ignore my instincts, we now carry a large mortgage on a modest, empty home in NY. The mortgage and taxes consume most of our income and we don’t even see the benefit.

Three Lessons

It may have been the hard way, but I learned many great lessons from this decision, including:

1. Trust your instincts: New for me, I often find myself explaining something just doesn’t “feel right” about decisions. It may not be as clear and concise as facts, but I’ve found better outcomes on many occasions.

2. Don’t justify a decision you already made: If you find yourself seeking facts to support a decision you already made, stop. Chances are you’re in the wrong position. As we sought facts to support buying the home, we should have still been asking, “is this the right decision?”

3. Don’t buy in Westchester: Okay, so I actually loved Westchester county. However, the reality is when you seek to invest in the most expensive area (be it real estate, stocks or elsewhere) consider cheaper options. The most expensive option leaves little room to grow and much further to fall.

In comparison to many, I realize we are very fortunate. Fortunate because we have a roof over our head, we’ve not suffered a foreclosure and it could have been much worse. Still, I hope you’re able to learn these lessons from my own experience, before you make similar mistakes of your own.

Question: What other lessons do you see from my failure?

Note: This post is the second of three on some of my greatest failures and the lessons learned. My hope, in exposing my scars, is somehow helping you avoid the same mistakes.

The Scenario: Overconfident

I was hired to deliver a new back office  software suite. Prior to my arrival, the project had struggled to get off the ground, so expectations were high. They placed a lot of hope in me and perceived me as the “hero” outside hire. What was worse, I knew and believed the hype (insert foreshadow music here).

After meeting with our customers, I compiled a business requirements document (to tell programmers what the software must do). Proud of myself and what I was delivering, I packaged the document neatly and handed it to our technical architect.

I felt like Moses delivering the 10 Commandments. These were gold. This was going to solve all the IT / Business conflict they’d experienced. I was overconfident.

What Happened: The Smack Down

We worked in an extremely open environment. Forget cubicles, we had desks in a giant, open room that resembled a warehouse. Therefore, as I stood before the architect, the team and many of our customers could see the entire interaction.

The architect (who was several years my senior), removed the binder, then briefly and silently skimmed the pages. I was about to head back to my desk, when suddenly the architect screamed, “These are not @$%#&*& requirements!” In a blast of flurry, the now loose-leaf stack of papers was flung in my face and fluttered into a pile at my feet.

I stood stunned, for what seemed an eternity, before getting down on all fours and collecting the mess of paper. As I gathered the sheets, I vaguely recalled the architect shouting directions about what a business requirements document should contain.

I spent the next several days nailing down every possible nuance the architect could desire. Then I studied hundreds of great examples of business requirement documents. A couple weeks later, I meekly approached the architect again, with a new version of the document.

Again, he skimmed it, this time with a growing grin. “Perfect” was all he said. I’d never been more happy to hear a one-word response.

What I Learned: Humility

Sometimes difficult situations and challenging people are needed for a lesson to really sink in. In this case, my greatest lesson was humility. I should have approached the architect for his expectations long before I submitted the document.

This was a new organization, new people and new technologies. Everything about the situation screamed I needed humility. Yet I rode the wave of hype about me. As a result, I failed to present the best solution.

Three Lessons

It may have been the hard way, but I received great lessons from this architect’s critical feedback, including:

1. Humility, especially in new settings, is important: Humility is a cornerstone of servant leadership. As the saying goes, “don’t believe the hype” – especially about yourself. The minute you start thinking you’re great, you’re setup for a fall.

2. Gather expectations from all stakeholders: I was so focused on capturing the business requirements, I failed to capture the requirements for documentation from the architect. Respect those who’ve been there longer – chances are they can teach you a thing or two.

3. Send a draft: Yes, that could have saved me from public disgrace. But in all seriousness, time and audience permitting, send a draft first. I say, “this is a first draft (or even outline), is it looking like what you expect?”

I hope you’re able to learn these lessons from my experience, before you make the same mistakes.

Question: What other lessons do you see from my failure?

Note: This post is the first of three on some of my greatest failures and the lessons learned. My hope, in exposing my scars, is somehow helping you avoid the same mistakes.

I recently received feedback that I am multitasking too much in meetings. The perception is that I am not engaged enough. This bothers me especially because multitasking during meetings has long been a pet peeve of my own. Therefore, I’m dedicating myself to fixing this. Here’s why:

A good leader serves their organization through active listening and full participation in meetings. To be a good leader, one really must be “in the moment”. Let’s compare and contrast the active listener with the multitasker in a meeting:

Jacob, the Multitasker:

Jacob is a rising star in the organization.  His seniors continue to give him demanding assignments and it seems he’s always juggling 100 tasks.  He enters each meeting, laptop in tow, blackberry out and bluetooth headset on.  He’s often late to the meeting and / or must leave early, because he has conflicting sessions.  As the dialogue progresses, he listens for keywords while he responds to email on the blackberry and, eventually, needs to pull out his laptop .  In the most pressing times, he’s even known to attend two meetings at once – on a teleconference with his bluetooth while attending another in person.

As the dialogue  progresses, it becomes clear to the team that Jacob has not been actively listening because he asks questions that were already answered.  At times, he’ll interject suggestions and comments based on a sentence or two he caught, but it seems disconnected from the broader topic.  The result is often a need for the group to rehash previous conversation and / or clarify the matter at hand for Jacob.  But Jacob does not care, he’s just “too busy” and expects this to be the response from his team and the broader organization – it’s only natural, because we’re all “so busy”.

Michael, the Active Listener:

In contrast to Jacob, Michael makes it a point to arrive on time, typically carrying only a notebook.  He urges the team to begin promptly.  He requests an agenda before each meeting and expects the team to stick to it.  The meeting coordinator often feels “under a spotlight” but knows they have his full attention.  On the very rare occasion when Michael must step out of a meeting and / or respond to messages in the middle of a discussion, the team is surprised and knows something serious must be up, so they pause, rather than repeating dialog following the distraction.

As the meeting progresses, Michael asks detailed questions on each slide and challenges the team’s assumptions.  Minute details they intended to glance over, Michael catches and asks for clarity.  Furthermore, Michael often repeats what he thinks he heard to ensure full comprehension.  Decisions made during meetings include a decision document. If decisions are not made during the meeting, a clear action plan is defined to achieve appropriate decisions.

Which meeting would you rather be in?  Which leader would you rather follow?  Which person is really leading through service?  I may not be as bad as Jacob, but it’s clear I have some work to do on this front.  I hope you will consider this issue for yourself, as well.

Questions: How does multitasking impact your team?

Danger Will Robinson, Danger!

One symptom of a leader caving to her own ego is one who begins to confuse accountability with responsibility. Accountability is when you own the ultimate result – pass or fail. Responsibility is when you are the one to deliver the result. Too often, I’ve seen good managers cave to their ego and confuse these roles.

Examples of people who confuse the two:

1. The Cover Up: If a manager accepts credit for a success that the team delivered.

2. The Idea Man: If someone believes they deserve credit for the results, only because they had the idea.

3. The One Man Band: When one member of team takes the credit for the entire effort.

Servant leadership means taking accountability when an effort fails but passing along the credit when it succeeds. In contrast, toxic leaders tend to do the reverse. These individuals take credit for success and pass along blame following a failure.

To serve the team, pass along the credit for those responsible in success, even if you were accountable. Those who matter know you were accountable. When an effort fails, accountability remains with the leader and you must pull in that blame from those responsible. Still, you must hold those responsible to the lessons learned. But that is a private matter among the team – not an open forum for flogging.

When your next effort concludes, don’t cover up the results, be an idea man or act like a one man band. Instead, accept accountability for the blame or share the credit with those responsible for the success.

Question: Have you seen someone confuse accountability with responsibility? What was the impact to the team?

Our Weeping Nittany Lion

Dear Joe,

In addition to others, especially the victims, I am praying for you and Sue.

You could not have stopped it, but you could have mitigated this catastrophe. Therefore, I want you to know, while I may not agree with the method, I must support the university’s  decision to let you go. As a Christian, I forgive you. Yet I also realize we must reestablish confidence and integrity in our great institution.

Please understand, although our paths only crossed for 5 minutes in person, you’ve been an inspiration, role model and teacher in my life. Barely a day has gone by since my days in Happy Valley that I don’t think of you. In fact, it is lessons you taught, that now obligate me to support those holding you accountable for failures under your watch:

• You taught me character and integrity matter more than perception and achievement. You would bench players long before they failed to meet NCAA regulations. As a result, Nittany Lions stood for more than score boards and records. Win or lose, I was always proud of you, our team and our university.
• You taught me the team matters more than the individual. With no names on the back of our jerseys, we are all Nittany Lions. There is no Sandusky, Curley, Schultz, Spanier or Paterno. There is only Penn State. We must ensure those baring our name will always represent us well. I may be named Lichtenwalner, but I am also a Nittany Lion.
• You taught me We are… Penn State. We always do what is right, not only when it is easy. You stood for more than football. As students and alumni we all stand for more than our education. We must continue to hold each other accountable to the highest standards.

It pains me to see you removed from your position. Unfortunately though, you are human and conducted one colossal, ethical and potentially legal failure. That failure was simply not doing more than most would do. But you are JoePa, we are Penn State and we excel where others fail.

I’ve learned something from every leader in my life. From many I learned examples I wish to follow. From others I learned examples I hope to never replicate. From you, I learned both. You will always be the greatest football coach to me. I wish you could have remained the coach of highest integrity and character as well. You could have done more. We expect more. We are integrity and character. We are… Penn State.

Sincerely,

Ben Lichtenwalner

Welcome to the October edition of the Servant Leadership Observer. This month brought several news events, including a release by the C12 group highlighting the benefits of servant leadership in business. The Greenleaf Center has announced their first of three virtual certificate courses will begin in January. In addition, there is an interesting blog post on the NFL Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck as a servant leader.

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Topics: News | Events | Blogs | ModernServantLeader.com

NEWS

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer: Former Red Cross exec Vikki Pryor addresses Servant Leadership Conference
This piece recaps Pryor’s keynote at the Pastoral Institute’s annual Servant Leadership Conference. I had the good fortune to hear Pryor at the Greenleaf conference a couple years ago and highly recommend her.

Reporter News: McMurry University Dorm Chaplain Program Declared a Huge Success
Two years into the program, this article explains how every hall has either a resident chaplain or a resident servant leader.

The Gleaner: Servant Leaders – the Real Heroes
This is an excerpt of a speech by GraceKennedy CEO Don Wehby, delivered at the United Student Movement inauguration ceremony at North Carribean University.

U.S. Department of Defense: DOD, Other Agencies Celebrate ‘Feds Feed Families’ Success
“DOD led 40 government agencies, donating 2,004,613 of a total 5,793,446 pounds of nonperishable food items to feed children, senior citizens and families…” At a celebration event, Jo Ann Rooney, principal deputy undersecretary of defense called participants servant leaders.

eTruth: Goshen (IN) Mayoral Candidates Speak to Servant Leadership
In a discussion at Goshen College, which has a theme this year of servant leadership, mayoral candidates Kauffman & Riegsecker spoke of their perspectives on these principles.

PRWeb: Applying Timeless Truths Drives Superior Business Performance
According to this piece, “The C12 Group, reports a surprising positive impact from adoption of Biblical servant leadership principles.” I was not surprised, but then. we’re sitting in the choir.

EVENTS

Greenleaf Center: Greenleaf Academy’s Course, Foundations of Servant Leadership, to Start in January
One of the Greenleaf Center’s 3 certificate programs, conducted virtually, is scheduled to begin in Mid-January.

Indiana Wesleyan University: Servant Leader Scholarship Competition Announced
Indiana Wesleyan announced a new scholarship competition program for servant leadership students in the honors college. Three students will be selected from the competition to receive scholarships ranging from $4,000 to $20,000. The competition begins in February.

BLOGS

Hub Pages: Leaders as Servants – Theoretical and Conceptual Models of Servant Leadership
Author Eric Coggins summarizes 7 different models of servant leadership. The models include Larry Spears, Jim Laub, Paul T. P. Wong and Don Page, Kathleen Patterson, John E. Barbuto & Wheeler, and Liden et al.

Chris LoCurto: Servant Leadership from a Quarterback
LoCurto highlights the example and quotes from Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

Serve To Lead: Netflix and Reed Hastings: Who Are They Serving?
Last month, James Strock brought you a perspective on Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook’s lack of servant leadership practices. This month, we have a similar perspective on Netflix.

October Posts from The Modern Servant Leader

• Servant Leadership Observer – September 2011
• 2 Critical Phrases to Handle Haters
• 5 Tips for Practical and Helpful Passwords
• 25 Ways to Prepare for Catalyst and Other Leadership Conferences

I love my toddler son, but he has a lot to learn. I love Wall Street too, but it also has a lot to learn. This analogy occurred to me while dealing with one of my son’s tantrums – our venerable icon of American capitalism often behaves like our toddlers. Some examples:

I want candy!

It did not matter to my son that, in the shopping cart were three new toys and an ice cream cake. No, he saw candy at the checkout and he wanted it now. It does not matter to Wall Street what you did last quarter, year or decade. Nor does it matter what you are developing for next quarter, year or decade. This quarter’s results are often all that matters.

I don’t want to go to bed!

His bad attitude, tears and stomping all pointed to one thing – my toddler needed rest. Regardless, he resisted any attempt to go to bed. Wall Street also may not care what storm you just weathered or economic condition you’re battling. The thought of a rebuilding period or reinvesting in the employee corps to prepare for the next storm is unacceptable.

I don’t like you Daddy. I want Mommy!

If I tell my toddler something he doesn’t like, there is no hesitation – he’s off to his mother. Wall Street doesn’t flinch either. When one corporation has bad news, there is a migration of investors to the competition. Although, the competition only wins until they too have a bad quarter.

I want to watch TV!

At the tender age of 3, children don’t want to work for their entertainment. Toddlers today have learned there is free entertainment streaming from the idiot box. Similarly, Wall Street loves being entertained. Investment cash often follows entertainment news.

Critics will point out that investors deserve a return on their investment. They’ll highlight that without such reaction to poor results, the markets would fail. I agree. My concern is not for a lack of consequences, but in support of a greater emphasis on long-term results. For, just as my toddler does not think of the future or consequences of his actions, Wall Street also fails to invest for the long haul.

Because I love my son, I continue to teach him right from wrong. I will do what he needs and what is right for him and our family. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy to do this for Wall Street. To be certain, I am generalizing. There are many brilliant, caring investors who seek out socially responsible organizations and invest for sustainability. Yet, I fear these individuals are increasingly the minority. I pray this changes and believe if anyone can be successful in driving such a swing, it will be our servant leaders. In the meantime, I hope Wall Street matures beyond the toddler age.

Question: Do you believe Wall Street acts like a toddler? Why or why not?

Storms that may seem destructive, often bring positive results. A leadership storm can have the same impact. A good leader that enters a bad situation (drought), needs to make tough decisions (storm), but the positive results are undeniable (growth).

The Drought

Preceding storming leadership is often a drought. This drought is a time of difficult challenges and may include any of the following symptoms:

1. Poor Leadership: Many organizations are rife with selfish leaders. Over time, this results in a drought of leadership and depreciates our greatest asset: the people.

2. Financial Crisis: Our global economy has declined, consistently, for several years placing many organizations in a financial crisis.

3. Tunnel Vision: Many corporations, especially the public sector, focus exclusively on investors. The result drains consumer, employee and the community value.

The Storm

As a result of a drought, sometimes a storm is needed to replenish nutrients in the organization. Like physical storms, leadership storms have similar symptoms:

1. Discomfort: Lighting storms can be frightening. After years of doing things one way, the organization may need to make a drastic change.

2. Cleansing Effect: You may not have taken out the trash in your organizational leadership for a long time. After a good storm, what was grimy shines better.

3. Nourishment: After a good storm, crops are replenished with water and nutrients. Leadership storms nourish the organization by feeding the needs of depleted departments.

4. Replenished Reservoirs: Droughts deplete reservoirs. Similarly, toxic leaders drain the reserves of organizations – stealing from tomorrow to make today look good. A leadership storm rebuilds those reservoirs.

The Growth

In order for a leadership storm to succeed, a delicate balance must be struck: it must be strong, but not so strong it damages the crops. It must be long enough to allow the ground to absorb the water but not so long it drowns the field. Here are some tips for ensuring there is growth after the storm.

1. Communicate the Need – If you’re not a farmer, you may not understand what is at risk during a drought until it is too late. Similarly, leaders must ensure those effected by the storm understand the need before it is too late.

2. Plan Comprehensively - People who face a lot of storms know how critical proper preparation is. Leaders must do the same. Planning the start, finish and anticipated results is crucial.

3. Be Transparent - Ensure the team knows what to expect and when you expect it. Storms don’t last forever and there are often signs that the end is nearing. Likewise, tell your people what to expect and when you think the storm will pass.

4. Minimize Damage - Winds too strong, destroy crops. Likewise, leadership cuts must not be too deep. Leaders must be careful not to eliminate too many resources or too much innovation.

5. Celebrate Completion – After the storm comes the rainbow. Similarly, you must celebrate with the team. Tell them how grateful you are for their support. Recap the damage, but also realized benefits and the defined end of the storm.

Destructive forces are never pleasant. However, if your organization needs a storm, ensure you design and deliver the storm as effectively and efficiently as possible. If you sense an oncoming storm, consider these tips to minimize the damage and maximize your results.

Question: How else can storms at the office be successful?

Much of what I practice in both leadership and technology roles, I first learned early in my career. In fact, the early years of my career formed the lens through which I view most of my professional perspectives. While I have grown, adapted and expanded many perspectives since those formative years, I was fortunate to receive outstanding guidance for my foundation.

Experience & Culture

After college, I joined the Career Development Program at Air Products & Chemicals. This program focused on the careers of the individual employee first, with the understanding that the company’s investment in them would benefit the company in the long run. Members of the program were expected to fill three different roles in the company over three years. The emphasis was on gaining a broad experience, enabling better management and leadership decisions. The result is an extreme investment in the employee and a well rounded future leader. My current employer, Whirlpool, has a similar program.

More important than the experience of these programs though, is the culture of the organization. Any company can design a similar program and still teach the employees terrible values or ethics. Fortunately, the investment in employees was genuine in my experience. In fact, Air Products was my first experience with servant leadership principles. If I had instead worked for a company with poor leadership I may have received an entirely different perspective.

Our Failures

My fear today is the number of students working for organizations with toxic leadership. These organizations do not focus on the careers of employees. Instead, these organizations preach abandonment of sustainable success in exchange for short term wins.  At these early points in their careers, young employees may perceive this is how business is done. They could not be further from the truth though: this is what is causing our businesses to fail. This is the failure of modern corporations to invest in our futures – our people – our next generation of leaders.

And if we do not invest in the next generation, who will?

For the Career Starter

Whether you are about to graduate or are simply early in your career, please consider this: the formative years are critical to your OUR success. So, please, invest those years wisely. If an employer does not value you and your peers in these ways, leave. Great companies, willing to invest in you, are out there. While the pickings may be slim today, it’s worth the wait and the investment to find the right employer.

For the Seasoned Professional

If you were fortunate to have a great experience, you owe it to those who served you, to pass it on. The fate of our future business success rests in the hands of those willing to serve the next generation of leaders. You are among them. If not you, who?

In contrast, perhaps you did not receive such a good experience. Perhaps you were trained in the dark arts of toxic leadership. Don’t worry. The very fact you are reading this means there is hope yet. We learn something from every leader we follow – either leadership we seek to emulate or leadership we refuse to proliferate. Your experience must be turned into the latter. Let the toxic chain stop with you. Raise the next generation of leaders with servant leadership principles.

I was one of the lucky ones. I landed a position with an organization that invested in me and my career. They taught me servant leadership. I wish you the same.

Question: What other components are important to someone starting their career?

After a hiatus of monthly news updates, we resume the Servant Leadership Observer with September, 2011 news. I’ll post the October edition soon. In the meantime, the September edition captured a lot of news from Academia and some great blog posts.

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NEWS

Erasmus University: Six Key Servant Leadership Attributes
Associate Professor Dirk van Dierendonk explains his perspective on the 6 attributes that define servant leadership. He also briefly covers perspectives on servant leadership implementation.

Brownsville Herald: New TSC President On Hand for Board Meeting
The new University of Texas at Brownsville President, Lily Tercero, defined here leadership philosophy as servant leadership. As a result, her inaugural meeting included a presentation on the ten characteristics of servant leadership.

Salisbury Post: Elizabeth Dole Wins Leadership Award
Trevecca Nazarene University of Nashville, Tenn., awarded former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole the second annual Nina Griggs Gunter Servant Leadership Award.

EVENTS

No new events were captured this month.

BLOGS

Barry Werner: Have the challenges of servant leadership deterred you from an all out commitment to becoming a servant leader?
Werner uses the example of Jesus seeking solitude after John the Baptist’s execution, only to find a needy crowd to exemplify the demands placed on servant leaders. Barry also provides tips and advice for the servant leader to address many of these challenges.

Serve to Lead: Who is Mark Zuckerberg Serving?
James Strock wrote about Zuckerberg and his social networking giant, Facebook’s repeated offense of user privacy rights.

September Posts from The Modern Servant Leader

• If You Seek Prestige, Please, Don’t Try to Lead
• Twitter Lists for Event Preparation
• Who Do You Serve?
• Turn Your Stopper Into a Stopportunity
• Servant Leader, You are Not Alone
• Cleaning Baby Poop Helps Make Great Leaders

Jon Acuff Method

Jon Acuff wrote about Loving Your Own Dream Too Much to Hate Somebody Else’s. In the post, he explains how he deals with haters:

When ever someone attacks me and the books I write, I always ask them a simple question:
“How did you write your book differently?”

That response is so powerful, I want to share and expand on it here.

As a leader, you are charged with making difficult decisions. Every decision comes with a trade-off. Every trade-off has the potential to make someone unhappy. Therefore, you are likely to encounter many haters in your career. We’re often trained to extinguish anger and frustration by inquiring how somebody would have done it differently. But that’s not Jon’s question.

Jon asks, “how did you” do it differently? When asked a theoretical question, the hater can always come back, still spitting venom, proclaiming their vastly superior suggestion. However, when asked to give a specific example of how they, themselves, handled the same or even similar situation, many haters will be quickly disarmed. The reality is, so many haters are so busy casting stones, they not bothered to collect any for their own home. They have no foundation. Haters often have no specific experience to call upon.

Dale Carnegie Method

In a similar disarming tactic, Dale Carnegie preached the use of this popular sentiment:

 If I were in your shoes, I’d feel the same way.

Carnegie went on to explain this is always true. For, if you were born into that persons family, with their DNA, their life experiences and their perspectives, you would feel the same way. After all, you would be them. Yet placing this comment in front of a hater calms the temper. The individual suddenly has something in common with you and realizes you’re willing to see things from their perspective – even if you do not agree.

Combined Hater Mitigation Method

So the next time a hater crosses your path, don’t be angry or frustrated. Instead, try this:

If I were in your shoes, I’d feel the same way. Tell me, how did you handle a similar situation differently?

My bet is you will see a fast transformation from hate, to indifference to support.

Question: How do you handle haters?

Yesterday, our youngest son (2 month old Gabriel) had a “blow out”. You parents know what I mean and the rest can probably figure it out from the title. It was a mess. By the way, if you’re eating while you read this, you may want to come back later….

Getting Your Hands Dirty

The Martin Luther King Family

While scrubbing the dirty onesie, I found myself contemplating a key business decision. Looking down at my hands, covered in soap suds and… well… baby poop, I had to chuckle. I wondered how many times famous father-leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill and others had to clean soiled baby clothes? This experience, it occurred to me, was a very humbling activity.

Humility and Priorities

Following someone who has cleaned messy diapers tells you something about that leader. It goes beyond the old saying, “they put their pants on the same way we do – one leg at a time”.  This shows their humility and priorities. It shows that the multi-million dollar deal they’re negotiating or the global team they lead is important, but at the end of the day, they’re not afraid to get their hands dirty – really dirty – for what is important.

To the world you might be just one person, but to one person you might be the world. (unknown)

Identifying the Poop Cleaners

Convinced that leaders who clean the poop from their kids’ diapers may be the kind of leader you want to follow? Here’s how you can identify some of them:

1. Family Calls: Leaders who prioritize family are not afraid to take calls from them during the day. If the individual steps out of meetings to take a family call, chances are, they’ve cleaned the poop.

2. Firm Departure Times: A friend and colleague of mine leaves every day at 5 PM, firm. Now, certainly, in the time of a crisis, you must be able to count on the leader, but as a general policy, poop cleaners often have scheduled departure times.

3. Family Appointments: The poop-cleaner often needs to schedule meetings around doctor and dentist appointments, school meetings and student activities. This is especially true if the individual comes from a household where both parents work outside of the home.

So the next time you see these activities from someone at the office, do not be concerned. Chances are that person is a poop cleaner. And, after all, cleaning baby poop helps make great leaders.

Question: What about you? Do you clean baby poop or follow someone who does?

When you feel like the answer is obvious, but nobody wants to listen, you are not alone.
When everyone else seems focused on their personal pestige, rather than serving stakeholders, you are not alone.
When you want to scream at the narcacisists entitled with executive job descriptions, you are not alone.

When it seems overwhelming and you don’t know Where to turn, you are not alone.
When you’re tired of watching people proclaimed “the greatest asset”, only to have performance reviews be an after thought, you are not alone
When you fought for the strategic investment only to have it cannibalized into a small, short-term gain, you are not alone
When you waste hours working with outdated tools because the organization does not value people’s time, you are not alone

When the economy is blamed for layoffs, while the company reports record earnings, you are not alone
When exploitation of the team seems an art form to others, you are not alone

When self preservation trumps doing what is right, you are not alone
When dirty politics is standard, on-the-job training, but leadership courses are few and far between, you are not alone
When trust is absent but fear and intimidation are your neighbors, you are not alone
When executives seem blind to the negative culture and declining results, you are not alone.

When leadership fails to serve and you alone, seem opposed to the toxicity proliferating your organization, you are not alone.

You are not alone, servant leader. We stand with you. We see the trending failure today and we seek to right it. We seek to fix what is broken. We seek to mend the broken limbs of our corporate cultures and set right what the toxic leaders of today have all but destroyed.

You are not alone. If you need resources or want to connect with other servant leaders, here are some resources:

Posts on Modern Servant Leader:

• Servant Leader Manifesto
• Why Servant Leadership is the Future
• Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For with Servant Leadership
• Situational Leadership? Try Consistent Leadership

Resources on Modern Servant Leader:

• Servant Leader Assessment
• Resources for the Beginning Servant Leader
• Servant Leadership Companies List
•  Servant Leadership Quotes

Other Servant Leadership Sites:

• LinkedIn Servant Leader Group
• Spears Center for Servant Leadership
• Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership

Is your stopper really an opportunity in disguise? People love to throw artificial roadblocks or “stoppers” up. Resistance to change though, is not how one leads. Instead, one displays leadership by turning a stopper into a stopportunity, here’s how.

You Can Change a Stopper Into an Opportunity

What is a Stopportunity?

Stopportunities are objections that stem from poor reasoning. These objections have typically been around a long time without being challenged. They proliferate the status quo without good reason or a business case. As a result, these potential stoppers are actually opportunities in disguise. Hence the term, “Stopportunity” – opportunities masquerading as stoppers.

A Stopportunity Example

Years ago, while I worked for a chemical company, there was a business request to automate creation of certification letters. The highly customized nature of these letters and the fact that nobody had an automated solution, led most technical architects in the company to say it could not be done. However, one eCommerce architect decided to lay this out as a challenge to an aspiring, young developer.

Within a couple of weeks, that young developer had a working prototype. The solution was considered extremely cutting edge and was among the first examples to meet federal requirements with digital signatures.

The final solution received special recognition from the Food and Drug Administration. That recognition spurred interest from new customers. The CEO gave special recognition to the team, the architect and the developer. Everyone engaged in creating that application went on to develop more great solutions for the company. And, to this day, that developer is very appreciative to the architect for his support and belief in his abilities.

How to Identify a Stopportunity

Any roadblock you encounter has the potential to become a stopportunity. However, here are the tell-tale signs of the most obvious stopportunities:

1. “We’ve never done it that way before”

This is the flashing neon sign of stopportunity. If someone objects to an idea simply because “we’ve never done it that way” you may have struck gold. I’ve seen that excuse thrown up several times in my career and on all occasions, there was no good reason not to do it like that.

2. “So-and-so won’t like that” (a.k.a. Politics)

I am not a fan of politics in business. However, they are a reality in many (yes, many – not all) organizations. When an objection rests in the perception that somebody else may not like your idea, remember it is just that – perception. It is not fact. Meet the person and listen to their concerns. More often than not, the individual is open to persuasion, once you are able to address their concerns.

3. Lack of Facts

Did you notice the first two scenarios lacked a business case or facts supporting the challenge? Whenever someone presents a stopper to you without fiscal reason or sound facts to the contrary, you may have a stopportunity.

4. Emotion

As I wrote in Frustration as a Warning Sign for Leaders, emotional responses signify warnings to leaders. If an objector seems emotional rather than passionate, consider the reason behind their emotion. Their logic may not be rational and you have a stopportunity.

So the next time you hear an objection, don’t turn around and give up. Instead, consider the root-cause of the blocker. If there are insufficient facts, too much emotion or a political angle, approach the objection as a Stopportunity and turn it into a success story of your own.

Question: What stopportunity do you have before you now? What Stopper did you turn into an opportunity in the past?

Who do you serve? It’s a simple question. Yet, if you are candid with yourself, the answer may be upsetting. With demands coming from every direction, Servant Leadership requires that we know who we serve and in what priority those individuals fall. Here are some ways to consider the priorities in your life and who you serve over others:

Money

Stewardship of resources is a critical responsibility of any leader. Who would your bank say you serve? Look at the credit card statement from last month. Did you spend most of your money on your faith, family or work?

Time

There are several billboards near my office that show a father playing with his children. The statement on it is simple: “Take Time to be a Dad Today”. Where do you invest most of your time? I cover more on this in my posts Actions Express Priorities, Tips for Work Life Alignment and Pause to Reflect on What’s Important.

Prayers

For the religious, who do you pray about and in what priority? Are your prayers consumed with desires for yourself and personal ambitions? Or, instead, do you invest your time praying for others and asking what God’s will is for you?

For example, after looking at where I invest my money, time and prayers, it was clear I serve the following: God, my lovely wife Trina, our two boys, my employers, you (my blog readers), other family members and friends. In addition, somewhat less obvious, I must serve myself.

Once you’ve reflected on where you are investing your money, time and prayers, consider the priorities of these investments. In his eBook Creating Your Personal Life Plan (free for subscribers to his website), Michael Hyatt states he puts himself high on the list. If you’re surprised, don’t be. He explains it well:

I have to attend to myself first (second only to God) in order to be spiritually,emotionally, intellectually, and physically available to others. If you have trouble with the semantics of putting yourself second, think of it as preparation to serve others.

Equipped with your list of who you serve and your priorities, you should be able to be very specific. For example, my list of those I serve is as follows:

1. God
2. Self
3. Trina
4. Children
5. Other Family
6. Employers (and stakeholders)
7. Friends
8. Servant Leadership Community
9. Other Communities (neighbors, social causes, etc.)

Knowing who you serve and in what priority you serve them is critical to being a successful leader. If you’re not certain, I urge you to spend some time thinking about this. Better yet, get Michael’s eBook and work out the priorities and life plan for yourself.

Question: What about you? Does God come first? Where are your family, friends, boss, coworkers and others on your list of people to serve?

People who seek prestige through leadership roles or titles cause trouble and hardship for stakeholders. These individuals, expecting recognition, fame or fortune, fall flat when they awaken to the true demands of a leader.

“With great power, comes great responsibility.” -Ben Parker (paraphrasing others)

Therefore, please, I beg of you, if you’re out to “lead” for the supposed prestige, don’t do it. Chances are there is someone more appropriate who will actually serve the stakeholders.

The Problem With Prestige Seekers

“Wait,” you say, “I’m not only in it for the prestige, I am really willing to work hard!”

Save it. I’ve heard it all before, as have most people reading this post. News flash for you: we see through you, probably better than you see through yourself.You see, we have no doubt that you’ve fooled yourself into believing you’re out for the good of others. However, if the prestige you believe you will receive from a title or role attracts you, even slightly, you’re deluding yourself.

Self Sacrifice

If you want prestige, you don’t really know what it means to be a true leader. Being a leader means self-sacrifice. Some leadership roles demand more sacrifice than others, but all require some, if they are to be done well. Whether it is the time you commit to the cause, travel away from loved ones, sleepless nights or other forms of sacrifice, the point is, all good leaders give up something.

Listening

Prestige seekers like to talk. Whether it is to the press, an audience or a group of employees. The prestige seeker desires the attention of others. In contrast, good leadership means listening to others. Spending a great deal of time hearing what others have to say and understanding the complexity of their challenges.

Humility

If you want any form or prestige, you likely assume a sense of entitlement. Whether it’s the prime parking spot at the office, a ridiculous compensation package that dwarfs the average employee’s or better airline seats. The prestigious wannabe believes they’ve earned it. In reality, great leadership means aligning with the needs and experiences of the average stakeholder. This includes experiencing that which a typical employee, customer or partner must go through on a daily basis. Hiding in ivory towers is not leadership.

Service, Not Prestige

Robert Greenleaf was fond of pointing out that servant leaders are individuals who seek to serve, first and then, upon considering the best ways to serve, choose leadership (paraphrased). This is leadership: service to – not from – stakeholders. Prestige has nothing to do with leadership and leadership has nothing to do with prestige.

So please, if you seek prestige, don’t try and lead. Odds are you will falter and fail when you discover that leadership is not as prestigious as you expected.

Question: What does leadership mean to you?