The Serving Leader

The following article was published in the Ballston Journal:

I attended the Aviation & Aerospace Manufacturing Conference where the author and leadership consultant Ken Jennings presented some of his work based on “The Serving Leader”, which is also the title of a powerful book he and John Stahl-Wert have written. I had several conversations with Ken during the conference and I received a copy of the book.

It is one of those books that you have trouble putting down. It draws you into the story and it unfolds as a great parable. While I cannot do justice to the entire book in this brief article, I would like to share the highlights of the book. If you are in any form of leadership or management position (and we all are in some form), I highly recommend that you get this book and read it.

In order to be a serving leader, one of the first things you need to do is challenge all that you think you know already and be open to discovering new insights. The first challenge is to look at what you think is the “organizational chart” or structure of your organization. If it looks like the traditional hierarchical organization, you know, the “top down pyramid” looking structure, try thinking about what it would be if you turn it upside down! That’s right, turn it 180 degrees and put yourself on the bottom, supporting, nurturing, coaching, and mentoring those who are on the next level up in the organization. And here is another clue, you need to get those you support to see themselves the same way you do, supporting, nurturing, coaching, and mentoring those above them in this new view. This is what Ken calls “Upend the Pyramid.” This is not a trivial step and not one to be approached half-heartedly. It takes real commitment and soul searching to be committed to this type of leadership, but it does yield measureable positive results.

As you upend the pyramid, the next revelation you come to is about how you support, nurture, coach, and mentor those “above” you. Some think this type of organization is one that carries everyone, and that can be a trap or hole you can get caught in. However the second action of the serving leader is to “Raise the Bar.” This is about providing expectations of performance and behavior that is consistent with the culture of the organization you are developing. People rise to expectations. It is part of our nature. If there are low expectations, people sense that and respond accordingly. If there are high expectations, people sense that and also respond accordingly. Just think of the challenging times that you and others have faced in the past. When things are really tough, people come through with extraordinary ideas and effort and accomplish great things. Raise the bar, let people know the expectations and they will respond or decide that they may not be a fit for the culture of “the Serving Leader organization.”

As a serving leader who truly serves the organization, with rising (and appropriate) expectations, the next action is to “Blaze the Trail” for those whom you are serving, and they likewise. Blazing the trail in this context means clearing the obstacles that are in the way of progress. It means taking a serious look at the processes, procedures, and methods that could possibly keep those you serve from being at their absolute best. It means looking at anything that could possibly assist those you serve to meet the raising expectations and doing all you can to ensure they have what they need. This is like clearing the rocks and boulders out of the path in front of people. Identifying what is blocking or hindering their success and removing as much of that as possible is Blazing the Trail!

To be a serving leader, you have to really know your people. You need to know their every strength, even those they do not use on a day-to-day basis in their current job. Focus on building on strengths to the point that weaknesses tend to become irrelevant. When you build on strengths, you will find that most weaknesses get addressed naturally, and more often, other people have strengths to offset weaknesses in other ways.

There is one last critical element to being a Serving Leader. Look for my next article to cover that. In the mean time think and work on these ideas and concepts within yourself and your organization!

Leadership - Appreciating the Difficult

The following was published in The Ballston Journal, March 25th.

In my February 4th article, “Business – It’s Complicated (and Personal)”, I wrote about appreciation and personal relationships both inside and outside your business.

Writing and reflecting on that article started me thinking about the difficult situations we encounter in business and in life. Can we really appreciate the difficult? And if we can, how do we do it?

It may be helpful to look at some examples – in this case, all business-related. Let's start by first looking at the difficult employee.

The first step in appreciating the difficult employee is to separate yourself from the emotion of the moment and take the existing moment in context with other prior moments. Evaluate how these moments connect and what they have in common. You may see a pattern emerging that really indicates the employee is having difficulty grasping the task at hand or the process or procedure for performing what is expected. This gives a good indication the employee may need additional training or additional skill sets. In this way, you're truly appreciating the employee's perspective and difficulty that they have in performing the particular duties or tasks, which you expect.

On the other hand, if connecting those moments yields the feeling that the employee just doesn't care or isn't trying or doesn't want to make the effort, then you have a different situation. In this case, to appreciate the difficult employee, you have to help the employee see that you are not doing anything to them; rather, they are doing it to themselves. Their actions and behaviors are not yielding the desired performance or results; instead, their actions and behaviors say they are working to give their job back to you. As a conscientious and fair manager or leader, you have an obligation to take that job back and give it to someone who wants it.

I realize this sounds a bit simpler than it really is. Human relationships are complicated, and to truly appreciate the difficult as well as the non-difficult, you really do have to appreciate people for who they really are. And of course, you cannot change people, particularly if they do not want to change themselves. In appreciating the difficult employee, it is always best to start by focusing on the positive aspects they bring to the workplace. From that perspective, you can then evaluate and appreciate what you find difficult about their actions and interactions. Also make sure you have built a positive workplace, by making sure that employees are supported and appreciated, provided with training and education, and supported by processes and procedures. Knowing that, even in the most positive workplace, you may still have difficult employees..

In the book First Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, the authors describe the catalyst role for managers as what great managers do, not how they do it. They detail four steps or core activities of a catalyst role:
• When selecting employees, select for talent - not simply experience, intelligence, or determination.
• When setting expectations, define the right outcomes - not the right steps.
• When motivating, focus on strengths - not on weaknesses.
• When developing someone, find the right fit - not simply the next rung on the ladder.

The authors also point out that great managers and great leaders treat employees fairly, but not necessarily equally. I believe this point supports truly appreciating employees, both the great and the difficult. Take an appreciative approach, and realize as managers and leaders our primary role is to support and enable employees to get just what they're working for. If they're working to excel, you need to do everything you can to help them excel as fast as possible. If they are working to give their jobs back to you, you don't have a choice; you have an obligation as a leader/manager to take it and give it to someone who wants it.

A similar perspective can be applied to the difficult customer. How do you appreciate the difficult customer? If you focus first on the positive aspects of what the difficult customer brings to your business, you may find they are bringing us rich and valuable information about your business. Perhaps you are not serving them well. Perhaps you are not providing them a great product or a great service. By appreciating their real message, you can find some keys to improving your products and service, and thus your business. Your difficult customers may in fact to be the key to taking you from good to great for all of your customers. If you truly appreciate your difficult customers, and realize, just like you might with your employees, that they are working to move their business elsewhere, then you can also help them achieve what they are working for. Said another way, the best approach in this situation is to help the difficult customer find someone else or some other company that can serve their needs better than you can. In many cases, this just might be the best way to manage these “moments of truth or difficulty” with your difficult customers.

So, the question remains. Can we truly appreciate the difficult? I believe we can. I believe you can, and it starts by truly appreciating the perspective and the situation that the employee or customer is presenting to you and your business. Appreciation starts from a position of attitude. In order to truly appreciate both the positive as well as the difficult, you need to be in a position of positive attitude and looking for the best possible outcome. From that position and perspective you can help everyone achieve exactly what they're working for.