Most are serious, a few are lighthearted. All touch on potentially sensitive areas. Over time, your team may feel comfortable enough to ask these questions. In the early days though, if you don’t answer these questions, they will not ask. Therefore, it is up to you to answer these questions, even when not asked, if you don’t want to leave them guessing…

15 Questions Employees Will Not Ask… But You Should Still Answer

1. What are your priorities in life?

You are human and so are your employees. They want to know if you are a person of faith or not. Do you put family first or are you completely devoted to the job?

2. How should employees disagree with you?

Are you offended by public dissent or do you encourage diverse perspectives? Some leaders prefer the appearance of a completely unified front and ask that opposition be confidential.

3. By the book or write or a new script?

Do you insist on policy and procedural adherence or do you like people to find the solutions that work best for them?

4. Do you want feedback or obedience?

Are you interested in the perspectives your team members have on your performance or would you rather only receive feedback through formal channels like a 360 feedback system?

5. Is it okay to cheer for the other team?

Honestly, some people are obsessive about professional sports. Are you one who can’t stand people that cheer your sworn enemy?

6. What hours / days are off limits?

Is it the moment you leave the office, after 10 PM or when you finally go to sleep at 4 AM?

7. What will get me fired?

Your people have obligations and families to support. Often, new leadership means other personnel changes. They all want to know what it is that will cost them their job.

8. What will get me promoted?

With personnel changes, there may be vacancies. Many see these opportunities and want to take advantage. What will get someone promoted quickly?

9. What is your greatest fear (professionally)?

As the new leader, you will be perceived as somewhat invincible – at least that’s what the hiring team may think. Show your vulnerability and humility – at least a little.

10. How much is too much?

Communications, humor before the meeting, socializing in general, issue escalations – whatever. We all have our limits and preferred volumes. What is yours?

11. How do you feel about family at the office?

Tony Dungy always encourages family at the workplace – he even had video games and toys at his office for his own kids. Do you support a kid-friendly workplace?

12. Why did you really take this job?

Sure, there’s the reason most claim, but what is the reality? Did you need the money, want a notch in your resume, the prestige of the title or do you want to kick the  competition’s butt?

13. Why did you really leave your last job?

Again, everyone has the politically correct answer. Consider sharing the blunt reality to make yourself more human. Was your last boss a jerk?

14. If money was not a factor, what would you do every day?

Would you live on a beach or the mountains? Still work in for-profit or find something more altruistic?

15. Star Wars or Star Trek?

Maybe not everyone wonders this, but I recently read that ThinkGeek,com asks this interview question and I think it’s a great one to answer for your team.

Whether you are new to a leadership role and organization or not, these are questions your team may be thinking. Why not give the answer before they ask? You can create an “About Me” slide or Frequently Asked Questions list. The team will appreciate knowing more about you and revealing candid answers like this will make you more human and humble – approachable.

Question: What other questions do you think team members or followers consider of leaders?

As social media platforms come and go, technology changes, but key principles remain. As a leader in your organization, you need to remember these key principles. A simple, relevant acronym should do the trick: S.O.C.I.A.L. – Serve, Open, Connect, Integrity, Action-oriented and Listen. While these principles are important at all times, it begins with listening, so we’ll cover the principles in reverse order.

Listen

The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer. — Henry David Thoreau

It begins with listening. You must hear what your customer, follower or stake holder says and how they act. Chris Brogan, author of Social Media 101, Trust Agents and Google+ for Business, explains you should create “listening posts”. You can do this with free solutions like Google Alerts (email alerts anytime new content, relevant to your interests is added to Google), Hootsuite (streaming social media posts, filtered by keywords) or more advanced (and expensive) solutions like Radian 6.

Social media expert Chris Brogan recommends Listening Posts

Action-Oriented

Action expresses priorities. – Mahatma Gandhi

Once you’ve done some listening, you should ensure you and your social media team are action-oriented. A great example of action-orientation is the Superbowl monitoring station. Using Radian 6 to listen and monitor events, a team of responders is trained to handle any situation: from traffic backups to missing children. When posts come across of anevolving situation, the monitoring team responds accordingly – from sharing alternate routes to alerting police.

Super Bowl Social Media Monitoring and Command Center (source: iupuiprssa.wordpress.com)

Integrity

It takes less time to do a thing right than to explain why you did it wrong. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Your actions mean nothing if you do not reflect integrity. When actor/director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma and more) was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight, because the crew believed he was large enough to require two seats, Smith blasted Southwest on Twitter. This provoked an outcry from Smith’s fans. However, Southwest Airlines quickly clarified to fans and the public that Smith typically purchases two seats, given his size, but in this case, tried to fly an earlier flight for which only one seat was available. The airline apologized to Smith for any offense. However, SWA also explained that, unlike most airlines, Southwest has a policy to refund any unnecessary “extra” seats purchased by “persons of size” when a flight is not full.

Southwest Airlines responded with integrity to Kevin Smith's complaints

Connect

Eventually everything connects – people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se.- Charles Eames

Even if you practice all other principles here, you may have no impact, without the right connections. The key to successful social media application is the quality of your connections. Follower ratio and the composition of your follower base is increasingly important. You may have a million followers, but if they only follow because they want the follow back, the relationship is useless. LinkedIn Lab’s InMaps provides a great method to visually depict your connections, their relevance and any potential overlap.

My Connections on LinkedIn - Mapped by InMaps

Open

There is not a crime, there is not a dodge, there is not a trick, there is not a swindle, there is not a vice which does not live by secrecy. – Joseph Pulitzer

The more open your culture, the better. Domino’s Pizza recently opened their culture when they launch the “Oh Yes We Did” campaign and the Pizza Turnaround website. The company posted media of customer’s blasting the quality of their product. Then the company captured reactions from the same customers as they tasted the company’s response – all new ingredients and recipes. The result was a hit, driven by authentically open response to customer concerns.

Domino's Pizza customer blasts the product in a focus group and praises the final result

Serve

“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” – John C. Maxwell

On a recent tour and visit with Zappos.com Insights team, I got to see service in action. The company focuses on serving their employees with benefits like free food, free personal coaching services and more. The employees in turn focus on serving their customers first, by ensuring their needs are met – even if Zappos doesn’t make a sale. The longest call on record, without a purchase, is somewhere over 8 hours. Because they care enough to serve first though, their customers are huge fans, that double as the company’s “free” marketing force.

The Zappos.com front desk displays the sign reading Powered by Service

The next time you wonder what principles are important in social media, remember they have not changed for thousands of years. These same principles have been important in business, organizational life and communities in general for a long time. However, perhaps this simple acronym will help you remember the most prominent principles: S.O.C.I.A.L. – Serve, Open, Connect, Integrity, Action-oriented and Listen. Be SOCIAL when interacting with media.

Question: What principles would you add?

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?

Understanding the priorities for colleagues can be vital to your success. A priorities map reveals the network of priorities for people in your organization. Often, team members confuse a lack of understanding with a difference in priorities. For example, the CEO may have very different priorities than the VP of Human Resources. To help you understand these differences, consider creating priority map for your organization. Here’s how:

A Spheres of Service Priorities Map can reveal a lot about your organization

1. Pick Your Tool

If this is your first time building such a map, use paper or a dry-erase board. However, if you’re looking to build a comprehensive map for distribution, I suggest Powerpoint / Keynote. Visio or a similar flowchart program is even better.

2. Establish Boundaries

If you include all potential stakeholders, you may be there a while. For your first time, I suggest limiting the priorities to the shared stakeholders of your organization. This can include consumers, investors / sponsors or donors.

3. Center Shared Stakeholders

List common stakeholders in the middle. In business, this will typically include employees, customers and investors. Chances are this is too broad though, and you will need to break these out into specific groups. For example, Accounting, Finance and  Information Technology teams.

4. Establish Weighted Connectors for Priorities

As you connect each stakeholder to yourself and other parties, mark the relationships according to the order of priority. In the demonstration here, I use the heaviest weighting and a bright red color for Priority 1. A lighter weight, blue color signifies priority 2 and the lightest weight, yellow color is priority 3. To start, keep your priorities to the top 3.

5. Map Your Priorities

Priorities Map for an Executive Committee

Connect each stakeholder with the proper priority weighting. When finished, you should see a visual display of the order in which you serve different stakeholders. Now, frame your challenge according to these priorities.

6. Consider Reality of Self-Service Priorities

Be careful with this one. However, if the picture is not more complete when the map is finished, consider if your map reflects reality. Is there a chance your colleague seeks to serve himself/herself first?

7. Assessment Questions

When you’re done mapping, here are some key points to consider:

1. Where are you aligned on priorities?

2. Where are you farthest apart on priorities?

3. How can you come closer together on priorities?

If you’ve done a comprehensive map:

1. Which stakeholders have the greatest number of high priority connectors? Are these teams getting most of the resources?

2. Which stakeholders have the greatest number of low priority connectors? Are these teams getting too few resources?

After you’ve done a couple one-to-one maps, try bringing them together to form a more complete picture of your organization. What would the executive committee priorities of service look like for your company? Does this reflect the gaps in support you see within different teams? By taking the time to map out these priorities you create a constructive perspective of the realities in your operating relationship.

Question: Does a priority map reveal any surprises about your organization?

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?!

There are 7 E’s required for social media success. Success in social media may require more, but it will not happen without at least the majority of these:

Your followers want to know you stand behind them – not just your cash register. -Ben Lichtenwalner

1. Empathize

Followers want to know you understand them. If you want fans, subscribers or customers in social media, empathize with your audience. Domino’s pizza did a good job of this with their “Oh Yes We Did” campaign. In this series of traditional and social media marketing messages, Domino’s Pizza confessed to poor quality and said they would change.

2. Encourage

Support your audience through encouragement – especially when your product or services are involved. My favorite Sports store, Gazelle Sports, does a great job at this. After purchasing a pair of running shoes, the sales representative (Vicki) sent me a note, encouraging my goal of participation in a marathon. Your followers want to know you stand behind them – not just your cash register.

3. Educate

Social media is not just about being social. To the contrary, your audience expects something in return for following you.  TOMS (shoes and now, eyeware), uses their blog for this purpose. The Toms blog covers a variety of topics around the mission of one-for-one (buy one, donate one). In fact, most blogs – commercial or not – serve this purpose. This is also one the reasons this site (ModernServantLeader.com) exists – to educate others on servant leadership.

4. Entertain

In person, we don’t spend time with others unless we enjoy their company. One aspect of that enjoyment is some form of entertainment. Social media is the same. If you entertain participants, they are more likely to come back. Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin just did a great job of entertaining online – by announcing the launch of Virgin Volcanic – their plan to journey to the center of a volcano. Among the passengers: Tom Hanks, star of the “Joe vs. the Volcano” movie. You guessed it – April Fools!

5. Equip

We are now more connected than any generation before us. As a result, what you know is less important than how quickly you can learn a topic. Therefore, subscribers and fans appreciate resources like lists, diagrams, how-to guides and other digital content they can reference. The American Management Association is excellent at equipping fans and customers. The company’s twitter account shares outstanding resources for free (both their own, original and other, external content).

6. Exhibit

To be a successful leader in any field, you need to exhibit authenticity. Without practicing what you preach, your followers will not last long. Social media technology provides the greatest platform for extending this ability.  When I think of someone who exhibits authenticity in social media, I look to Tony Dungy. Tony does a great job of reflecting his passion for Christ, the NFL, family and ministry work. While others use social media to advance a commercial purpose alone, Dungy reflects who he is, as a whole person, through social media.

7. Expedite

Responsiveness in social media is more important than many realize. It may be “better late than never”, but it’s also “the quicker the better”. Nothing says “you are important to me” more, than a quick response. The first person to amaze me with this practice was Michael Hyatt – then CEO of Thomas Nelson. Mr. Hyatt’s responses to my inquiries were blazing fast. If you want your fans, followers, subscribers and customers to recognize how you value them, expedite your responses.

Social media success may be achieved without some of these practices. However, to really excel, you need these practices and the more you have, the greater your likelihood of success.

Question: What other practices do you find important to social media success?

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?

Corporations often look to external talent for fresh ideas, new approaches and cultural changes. Yet, when employees leave, frustrated by a lack of promotion, executives complain there is a lack of loyalty. Ironic, isn’t it? In my post on external hires, I mentioned alternatives for bringing in new ideas, perspectives and culture. Below is a list of these ideas that do not require hiring external candidates:

1. Book Clubs

Encourage book clubs – internal and external. Internally, you may start one yourself. What change do you want to make? Find the best book on the topic and start a group to read it together and discuss implications for your company.

2. External training

Sending team members to training outside your organization will inspire new ideas. This is particularly best done when individuals are sent. When you send teams, you may still end up with group think.

3. Online Events & Repositories

Live events like the Chick-fil-A Leadercast and repositories of management training like the American Management Association provide great opportunities for fresh ideas. Live events encourage your team to come together and make a highly visible investment in development. Repositories allow the flexibility of employee schedules.

4.Employee Share

Less common, but a great practice, is contract sharing of employees. If your organization has a strong, non-competitive relationship, such as with partners or vendors, share your employees. You can, in essence, set aside specific projects. The result is each team gains insight to another organization that they can bring back.

5. Consultants

Consultants have a bad reputation with many internal employees. However, when leveraged properly, these individuals can be a great resource for new insights. The key is to hire them for the individual contributors - not the managers. Consultants should be informing, educating and empowering your employees, not overshadowing them.

6. Conferences

Conferences are a mix of many suggestions here. An attendee who really invests in a conference can network with other professionals, gain insight from consultants and attend many presentations on new topics.

7. Professional Networks

Join professional networks – both locally and online. There are countless opportunities for these – even in niche fields. Professional networking groups offer a wealth of knowledge sharing and inspiration opportunities.

8. Lunch & Learn

Team members are passionate about many topics beyond their daily roles. Offer them a forum such as casual lunch presentations, open to the group, that they can present these ideas. These often work for formal knowledge sharing about topics within their role as well.

9. Idea Share Forum

Create a simple discussion forum on your intranet that enables employees to submit new ideas and suggestions. Then, allow the entire organization to rate each submission. The best ideas should rise to the top.

10. Performance Objectives:

Make it an expectation of your employees that they bring in new ideas and alternative approaches by including it in their performance objectives. To ensure this is successful, add a method of measurement (such 1 new idea a week).

This list is just the start. There are many ways to bring new ideas, solutions and culture to your organization. Like anything else worth doing, it just takes the effort to invest in it.

Question: Have you tried these or other solutions? How did it work?

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?

The moment I saw the title, I had to read it. Screw Business as Usual by Sir Richard Branson sounded right up my alley. Branson is the founder and head of Virgin Group (including Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Virgin Megastores and literally hundreds of other organizations). He’s also known for his unique perspectives on business, interest in extreme hobbies and a pension for humanitarianism.

When I bought the book, I was not sure which attribute of Sir Richard to expect: all business, life-on-the-edge or philanthropist. It turned out, the book was mostly about the latter – social enterprises in the global economy.

Similar to Bill Clinton’s Giving, Branson covers dozens of positive examples to support his case. Nobody reading this book will wonder, “how can I help?” Unlike pure philanthropy-focused books though, Branson remains all business. His perspective? should recognize its role in the global community and find a way to conduct business that benefits all stakeholders. And that is where my servant leadership take comes in.

For the servant leader in business, this book offers ideas for your organization to serve the community. There are some great quotes and real-world success stories for you to reference.  The business servant leader will feel inspired and armed with examples – including quantifiable data – to influence peers and followers.

 Key Principles

• Virgin Unite: This organization is Virgin Group’s nonprofit arm. Many of the organizations in the book were identified during Branson’s interaction with them through Virgin Unite.
• Capitlasm 24902: The circumference of the earth, at the equator, is 24,902 miles. This was the origin of Branson’s term, “Capitalism 24902″ – capitalism for the earth and all our stakeholders – not just fiscal profit.
• Do good, have fun and the money will come: Sir Richard Branson explains he used to say, “Have fun and the money will come”. Now, he prefers to say “ Do good, have fun & the money will come.”
• Good business sense: Another consistent theme throughout the book is that doing good is also good for business. Most, if not every, example includes business value generated through the organization’s positive impact on other communities.
• The Elders: I was shocked (and a bit embarrassed) that I never heard of this fantastic organization. Branson frequently references The Elders – a group of distinguished peace makers working for peaceful resolution of global issues. Branson played a key role in establishing this organization in 2007. From the Elders website:

Chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The Elders is an independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights. They were brought together in 2007 by Nelson Mandela…

Whether you are a social entrepreneur, philanthropist, business professional or servant leader, you need to “Screw Business as Usual” and read this book. As Branson points out, this is all but necessary today. For, I must agree, it will not be long before “Business as Usual” (solely profit-focused) will utterly fail. Here’s hoping Branson and Virgin Unite influence more businesses to embrace Capitalism 24902.

Question: Have you read “Screw Business as Usual” and what other books would you recommend for social entrepreneurs?

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?

Leadership author and speaker Mark Sanborn has a new book entitled “Up, Down, or Sideways – How to Succeed When Times are Good, Bad, or In Between“. In this interview, I speak with Mark about the book, including several servant leadership perspectives. See the full interview here, or click the links to clips from each question below.

Mark Sanborn Interview

(Difficulty viewing video? Watch on Youtube).

About Up, Down, or Sideways

Up, Down, or Sideways is very relevant for these challenging times. In this book, Sanborn describes his personal experience with a series of challenges he ultimately succeeded through. As Mark explains, his ability to come through these difficult times successfully was due largely to steps he took before they occurred. As Mark explains, this is a book about “…how to succeed always“. I highly recommend this book, along with Mark’s other excellent contributions to the leadership community (see list below).

Questions

Below are the (paraphrased) questions I ask Mark in the interview:

1. What role did the trifecta of challenges you faced recently (cancer, investment downturns and decreased professional engagements) play in your creation of the book? (view this clip – 3:08)
2. What are each of the major sections in the book (See, Think & Do) about? (view this clip – 2:09)
3. What do you mean by your definition of success and the Score Keeper’s Secret? (view this clip – 3:35)
4. Why is practicing gratitude so important to success? (view this clip – 3:35)
5. Why is optimism so important, especially for those struggling right now? (view this clip – 4:36)
6. Woody Hayes (Ohio State University) and Joe Paterno (Penn State University) both ended fantastic NCAA football coaching careers under unfortunate circumstances. What advice do you have for someone going through a professional failure of such a tremendous magnitude? (view this clip – 3:41)

More from Mark Sanborn

For more from Mark, you can check out his other books:

• You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere, Can Make a Positive Difference
• The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary
• The Encore Effect: How to Achieve Remarkable Performance in Anything You Do

You can also find Mark on his website at MarkSanborn.com, Twitter at @Mark_Sanborn, YouTube or Facebook.

For more on Servant Leadership, please visit the Introduction to Servant Leadership Page.

My thanks to Mark for his time and insight. Keep up the great work, Mark. And please, keep serving.

Question: Did you read Up, Down, or Sideways? What was your favorite part?