This management training concept is gaining acceptance and has recently began being implemented in more and more organizations. Servant leaders desire is to serve employees in any way possible to motivate them to become better people, more autonomous, more productive, more confident and happier within their work environment. The end result of this motivation is a more productive workforce where employees want to be servant leaders as well.

Servant Leadership management training teaches the servant leader to devote his energy towards meeting and exceeding the needs of employees by encouraging their skills and providing guidance to help them overcome their shortcomings. This helps employees become happier and more productive within their work environment which ultimately makes them more likely to remain loyal to their company.

This management training concept will help leaders create an environment within the workforce that is more productive, less stressful and more devoted. Ultimately servant leadership will create an overall feeling of contentment within a workforce. Employees will feel as if their relationship with their leader is more of a partnership rather than a dictatorship.

Starbucks is one company that has adopted the management training concept of Servant Leadership. Starbucks is a hugely successful corporation and one of the major reasons for this is the fact that have created a friendly and inviting atmosphere for its customers largely by creating an environment in which their employees are happy. Starbucks success and growth has been enviable and much of their success can be credited to their adoption of servant leadership as their corporate philosophy.

Servant Leadership management training teaches leaders to work in a partnership with their employees, which motivates them to work in a partnership with the customers. This creates a work environment where information flows from the decision-makers unimpeded and helps create a better customer experience that could not be achieved without that flow.

Here are ten characteristics of Servant Leader management training that are considered essential to the development of servant leaders:

Listening: The servant leader should listen to others in an effort to identity the will of the group.

Empathy: The servant leader should accept and recognize coworkers for their unique spirits.

Healing: Successful servant leaders should recognize the emotional pains of others and help to make whole the individuals they come in contact with.

Awareness: Servant leaders should be self-aware as well as aware of pertinent issues, especially those involving ethics and values.

Persuasion: The servant leader should seek to convince individuals rather than coerce them. The ability to build a consensus is seen as an asset.

Conceptualization: Servant leaders should have the ability to see what may be coming in the future but maintain the balance of looking ahead while keeping up with the day-to-day.

Foresight: Successful servant leaders should know the likely consequence that a decision will have on the future.

Stewardship: Servant leaders should motivate all stakeholders within an institution to maintain their trust for the betterment of society.

Commitment: The servant leader should be committed to the individuals within an organization as well as the organization itself.

Community Building: In order to build a community, servant leaders should lead the way by demonstrating their unlimited liability for a community-related association.

Bill Jenkins – About the Author:

Bill Jenkins is the Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Advancement for Grand Canyon University. For more information about Grand Canyon University, visit http://www.gcu.edu

Training Resource: A Grander Goal tells the true story of how one man went beyond simply “doing a job” and changed the lives of poor, unemployed young men in Uganda.

I took part in a training exercise where half the class pretended to be ‘employers’. The other half of the class pretended to be ‘potential employees.’ We (the ‘employers’) had to find a way to attract the ‘employees’ to come and work for us.

Sounds simple? Well I thought so. I was an employer offering flexible working hours, a great salary and career development. Yet my new recruits were undecided. But then I spoke about our corporate social responsibility program and they were suddenly a whole lot more enthusiastic. I signed them up.

Okay, so it was only a game. But it is a great example of how corporate social responsibility (CSR) can make all the difference to your competitive position. Initiatives such as pro bono work, philanthropy, support for community-building initiatives and environmental awareness can add significant value to your company, and if the program is well-designed, the benefits far outweigh the costs.

An easy way for your company to build its brand, reputation and public profile

Being socially responsible creates goodwill and a positive image for your brand. Trust and a good reputation are some of your company’s most valuable assets. In fact, without these, you wouldn’t even have a business. You can nurture these important assets by being socially responsible.

It is crucial, however, that you devise the right socially responsible program for your business. When used properly, it will open up a myriad of new relationships and opportunities. Not only will your success grow, but so will your company’s culture. It will become a culture which you, your staff and the wider community genuinely believe in.

Corporate Social Responsibility attracts and retains staff

Did you know that socially responsible companies report increased employee commitment, performance and job satisfaction?

Yes, it is in us all to want to do ‘good’ (and perhaps be recognised for it). Our lives become meaningful when we realise our work has made a positive difference in some way. It makes all our striving worth it. In fact, a 2003 Stanford University study found MBA graduates would sacrifice an average $13700 cut in their salary to work for a socially responsible company.

By attracting, retaining and engaging staff, ‘doing good’ for others reduces your recruitment costs and improves work productivity. It’s just plain good all ‘round!

Customers are attracted to socially responsible companies

Branding your business as ‘socially responsible’ differentiates you from your competitors. The Body Shop and Westpac are companies who have used this to their advantage. Developing innovative products that are environmentally or socially responsible adds value and gives people a good reason to buy from you.

Corporate Social Responsibility attracts investors

Investors and financiers are attracted to companies who are socially responsible. These decision-makers know this reflects good management and a positive reputation. Don’t underestimate this influence; it can be just as important as your company’s financial performance. In fact, it may be the deciding factor in choosing to support your company.

Corporate Social Responsibility encourages professional (and personal) growth

Your staff can develop their leadership and project management skills through a well-designed corporate social responsibility program. This may be as simple as team-building exercises or encouraging your employees to form relationships with people they would not normally meet (like disadvantaged groups).

Corporate Social Responsibility helps to cut your business costs

Environmental initiatives such as recycling and conserving energy increase in-house efficiency and cut costs. Introducing a corporate social responsibility program gives you a good reason to examine and improve on your spending!

Two important tips for you

Before you rush into your own corporate social responsibility program, remember:

* You must implement your program strategically. Just giving a donation is not enough. The best corporate social responsibility programs are based on a two-way relationship with you and each of the organisations you are involved with. This allows both parties to be challenged and grow together.

* Your corporate social responsibility commitments should be in line with the values of your company, customers and staff. Most importantly, they must be based on a genuine concern for people and the community. You do not want the program to backfire, making you seem hypocritical. A poor strategy will cause people to become cynical and distrustful of your company.

But all in all, corporate social responsibility makes financial sense, adds meaning to your work and makes everyone feel good!

So what should you do next?

It is a highly competitive world out there. If you want people to buy from you, work for you and invest in you, look seriously at corporate social responsibility.

Dianne Taylor – About the Author:

To find out how your company can grow from a corporate social responsibility program, contact Dianne Taylor at Sirius Business on dtaylor@siriusbusiness.com.au. Dianne is currently offering free advice on how to implement an effective corporate social responsibility program. This advice includes a list of 10 Simple Corporate Social Responsibility Actions for your business.

With over 25 years as the co-owner of a successful engineering business employing 30 staff, combined with a background in leadership development and education, Dianne has a wealth of experience to draw upon. Dianne’s practical experience is supported by qualifications in coaching, training, human resource management and business. As a business management and leadership coach, consultant, speaker and trainer, Dianne is passionate about helping people and organisations discover and realise their potential. Have a look at Anderson Gray Worldwide – http://www.anderson-gray.com

• Say: “Studies have shown that most customers never complain about poor service…they just walk out and don’t come back!  Also, most of us will tell our stories, especially about bad service, to approximately 10 other people.”

• Break into small groups* so everyone has time to share at least one positive and one negative example (two examples of each if time permits).

• Ask participants to turn the negative example into a positive one—what could have been done differently to improve this service and the customer’s experience?

• Bring groups together and ask each group to share one example only of unique or outstanding service.  You may wish to list these on the board or flip chart.  Allow 5 minutes for sharing of examples.

• Conclude by stating in your own words: “While we’re done with these positive and negative examples, we know this is really only the beginning of how we can provide the best service to our customers.  Good service is a full-time job that we must stay alert to at all times with our verbal and non-verbal language, our facial expressions, our tone of voice and our overall attitude.”

*Note: Small group size will vary based on overall attendance, but 3-4 maximum will allow best participation.

Handout:

Recent Positive Examples of Customer Service:

We really don’t need experts to tell us about good customer service since each of us is also a customer and knows what we like and don’t like.

Instructions: List some “memorable” positive traits, behaviors, phrases and expressions of recent service encounters you’ve experienced.

1. __________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________

4. __________________________________________________

5. __________________________________________________

Review and prioritize your top two examples.

Recent Negative Examples of Customer Service:

Instructions: List some “memorable” negative traits, behaviors, phrases and expressions of recent service encounters you’ve experienced.

1. __________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________

4. __________________________________________________

5. __________________________________________________

Review and prioritize your top two examples.

Excerpted from the Leader’s Guide for Remember Me, 3^rd Edition.

Need help in this area? CRM Learning’s best-selling program, Remember Me?, reminds service providers that it is typically the simple things (like common courtesy and professionalism) that matter most to customers.

During this process, participants sometimes reveal that they already KNOW how to do much of what we’re there to teach.  But if that’s the case, why doesn’t the organization see them applying that knowledge?

Consider this example:  Some managers and service providers seem to be able to provide good leadership and/or service when they are being observed by an executive who can affect their continued employment or advancement. Yet, that manager or service provider fails to give the same level of care and consideration on a consistent basis.

That’s when the role of a trainer is to come up with ways to remind or inspire people to use the knowledge they already have.  I call this having a “know focus.” It requires innovative techniques, not just new information, to improve the long-term effectiveness of an organization’s leadership and staff development.

As you may have guessed from this article’s title, I believe music is one of those innovative techniques. Research done by a number of organizations, including the American Medical Association and Harvard University, shows that music can provide both an anchor and an emotional connection to improve the retention of information.

Instead of relying solely on traditional methods of closing the gap between what participants learn and what they actually use (such as setting a goal that people look at every morning)…try using music as a fun and inspirational reminder of the things you want participants to improve upon.

Here are a few examples of how you can build a training message around a familiar song!
Good Vibrations from The Beach Boys can be used to remind service providers that their jobs are all about sending “good vibes” to customers.
Put a Little Love in Your Heart by Jackie DeShannon can be used to reinforce a lesson about servant leadership.
Little Bit O’ Soul by The Music Explosion can be used to inspire people to keep a positive attitude.

So go ahead.  Listen to your IPod for a few hours and see what useful, inspirational messages you might stumble upon.  Or, make the selection of a “memory anchor” song an assignment for participants—allowing them to think of a song that will always remind them of the day’s lesson.   You’ll be amazed at what a great retention device this is because your participants will remember your messages “Eight Days a Week!”

Over the past 20 years, Donna Long has helped hundreds of organizations improve their leadership, communication and customer service effectiveness. Visit www.LearningJourneyInc.com to learn more.

Need help in this area? CRM Learning’s Jukebox Journey Meeting Opener Series contains three short animated videos that feature the songs and messages described in the above article.  These videos can help you teach unforgettable lessons in leadership, customer service and a positive workplace.

Do a different kind of homework.
The virtual classroom has a different kind of energy that requires your attention before you start.  Because participants can’t see each other and “catch” each other’s enthusiasm, it’s up to you to set a positive high energy tone from the very start. Develop a ritual to focus and energize yourself a few minutes before your session takes off.

Pull up an easy chair.
The social connecting and rapport-building that makes people comfortable in the face-to-face classroom won’t happen here without some prompting. Take the extra effort to make personal connections with and between participants. Create comfort by outlining clear expectations for how to participate and the role you will play in encouraging involvement.

Add some pop to your talk.
The energy you project will be reflected back to you by participants…good, bad or ugly. Think of your voice as your energy instrument with infinite range of tone, inflection and pace. Use your voice to make up for energy lost through the absence of body language and facial expression.

Get everyone talking.
The natural turn-taking that occurs in face-to-face discussions is compromised virtually. The visual cues are missing. Open questions directed to the whole group may generate silence not because participants are disinterested but because they are waiting for someone else to take his or her turn. Let people know how you want them to respond and call on people by name generously.

Dish out the details.
When participants are confused about what they are to do in the virtual world, you can’t walk over casually to clarify. Clear, specific directions are even more critical in this venue – with visual support through slides and ‘print-your-own’ style handouts.

Fend off awkward moments.
Awkward moments – like consistent latecomers, off-base comments or negativity – magnify in the virtual classroom. Work diligently to keep things focused and to turn glimpses of negativity into positive problem solving. Minimize attention to latecomers – why take valuable time from those who arrived on time? Try even a few of these virtual virtuoso lessons and enjoy the beautiful learning you and your participants will create together.

Written by DesignArounds, your one-stop learning and development partner. © 2010. For more information about DesignArounds’ products & services, visit us at www.designarounds.com.

Need more help in this area? Our program, The Invisible Meeting, offers additional tips for achieving success in the “virtual world”. It illustrates six techniques that that turn a conference call into a productive, collaborative group session.

To achieve high levels of employee engagement, you need to first understand what they are thinking. One way to do this is to collect employee feedback through regular employee surveys. However, successful companies don’t just rely on surveys as an event, but also steadily maintain communications and actions throughout the year to continually involve employees in driving positive change. One progressive and admired company leading the way is Google.

Google firmly believes that feedback and discussion are an important part of doing business, and finds avenues for “Googlers” (as Google employees are called) to not just raise problems but help solve them. Google’s annual survey is critical in gathering employee feedback on what is working well and what can be improved. Beyond the survey, Google uses a variety of regular feedback channels to encourage employee involvement and leverage its philosophy that more minds on an important issue are better than one.

Strategy 1: Create a two-way dialogue on the most important issues on people’s minds.
Open dialogue between employees and leaders has always been an important part of Google’s business operations. Every Friday, Google holds a forum called “Thank goodness it’s Friday” (TGIF) to have an active conversation and answer questions ranging from product decisions and external news to internal people-related policies and decisions. This program initially started small with a few employees asking the founders questions on a Friday afternoon. As it evolved, TGIF now occurs almost every Friday, and the notes are distributed broadly across the company. Googlers use Google Moderator, an online tool to submit and vote on questions, and the top-voted questions are directly answered by Google’s founders and executives. TGIF also includes live questions. High levels of employee and executive participation in TGIF contribute greatly to the culture of transparency and create a more intimate atmosphere despite the company’s size of 20,000 employees.

Strategy 2: Engage employees in solving problems, not just raising them.
Google encourages employees to attend problem-solving sessions designed to resolve business challenges. Appropriately called “Fixits,” these sessions can invite a specific group of employees or be open to anyone. One recent Fixit addressed particular concerns regarding career development in a growing business unit. For one week, suggestions for how to improve career development were collected via Moderator. Googlers submitted 51 ideas, in total receiving 5,615 votes, and the best three ideas were implemented. As employees were involved in the solutions, satisfaction in many areas in the annual employee survey improved one year later, including double-digit increases in the favorability scores on two career development items.

As demonstrated by CLC Genesee research, increasing employee engagement has clear business benefits. Following the lead of companies such as Google, organizations can creatively find new ways to encourage and collect employee input on important issues to achieve measurable business outcomes. It’s not about making employees feel involved; it’s actually involving them. The result is more informed leaders, more engaged employees, and ultimately better decisions for a stronger business.

From http://www.executiveboard.com/businessweek/bw-week41.html Used with permission.

Need More Help in this Area? 5 Questions Every Leader Must Ask is a terrific tool for involving employees in problem solving. Using the proven model in this program, even the most inexperienced manager can generate great ideas and effective solutions in a team setting.

1. I’m the newest member of the group.  I haven’t earned my voice at the table yet.

2. I don’t care enough about the issue under discussion to risk offending anyone.  It’s more important to me to avoid making waves.

3. I care a lot about this issue, but I care more about keeping my job.  I’m going to keep my mouth shut!

4. If I express my real opinions on this issue, someone will give me an extra assignment, or put me in charge of finding alternatives.

5. I’m not the expert.  Why would I know more about this than the rest of those sitting at the table?

6. I shouldn’t be at this meeting in the first place.  Who put me on the distribution list, anyway?

7. We’ve been through this a dozen times.  I’m tired of it.  Let’s decide something—anything—and just move on.

8. The project sponsor has put so much effort into this proposal, I don’t want to hurt his feelings.

9. I have reservations about this decision, but if it moves ahead as is, there’s a good chance I can get that part-time assistant I need.

10. Everyone at this table remembers the last time I voiced a concern.  It created all kinds of implementation delays and then turned out to be a non-issue.

11. It’s really up to my boss.  That’s why they pay her the big bucks.

12. Am I the only one awake at this meeting?  I wish the others would learn to participate and be more accountable for decisions that impact that impact their departments.

13. Whatever.  (as in, what-EH-ver).

14. It would be better if we studied this more, but I suppose you could say that about any decision.  I’m not going to mention it.

15. I’m good with details.  But, right now, no one in this room wants to hear about MY problems or concerns with the details.  I’ll wait until later.

To make this a training activity:

Put the list above on a handout for each team member.

Have each participant pick their 3 favorite “excuses” from the list, by circling the numbers of the three statements with which they most identify.  Note:  Encourage participants to be completely honest.  Assure them they will not need to verbally share their responses with anyone.  They do not need to put their name on the handout.

Ask each person to jot down, on a separate piece of paper, the numbers they circled on the handout and then have them pass the handout back to you.

Write the numbers 1 – 15 on a flip chart or white board and use tally marks as a volunteer reads the choices from each handout.  (You may want to take a session break while you tally the responses.)

Construct the group’s Top 5 List by recording the number of selections for Reason #1, Reason #2, etc.  Circle the five most frequently noted reasons.

Review the list, starting with #5 and working toward #1 (the most often cited).  If you have time constraints, focus on the top three reasons.  Ask the group for comments about these tendencies.

Present the following alternatives as a way to counter the reluctance we all can feel about sharing our true opinions, knowledge and feelings in a group decision-making situation.

• Calculate the real risks (both to yourself and to the organization) of speaking up, or not speaking up.  Are your expectations of what will happen if you speak out against a decision realistic or have you exaggerated them in your mind? Think about the consequences to the team or organization if the decision does, indeed, turn out to be flawed.  How will you feel if that happens?

• Confront your fear of separation.  As humans, we sometimes fear that presenting an opinion contrary to what others are saying will be label us a “non-team player” and/or cause us to be alienated from the group. Ask yourself this question: would you rather be liked by your fellow team members or valued for what you contribute.  You stand to make the biggest impact on your team’s success when you honestly share your knowledge, opinions and experiences.

• As a group, work together to make sure people are properly prepared for meetings and that your group maintains a climate of open participation.  What needs to change about what happens before meetings so that people come prepared to discuss the pro’s and con’s of an issue/decision?  What can you do differently during meetings to encourage everyone’s involvement and to make it safe for people to speak up?

*Excerpted from the CRM Learning program, The Abilene Paradox, Second Edition.

Need more help in this area? CRM Learning’s all time best-selling video program, The Abilene Paradox, shows how group decisions get derailed when group members are not honest with their input. Viewers are given a number of tips for helping groups avoid “false consensus”.

When leading in times of change and transition (and who isn’t?), remember communications fundamentals, including these:

• Communicate relentlessly. Communicate information, thoughts and ideas clearly — and frequently — in different media. Find many ways to share information; keep processes open and transparent.

• Listen. Good communicators are also good listeners. Allow people to air their gripes and complaints. Pay attention to what others are saying, thinking and feeling. What is said, and what is left unsaid.

• Explain. People are often skeptical of change. Share your thinking and the trade-offs you’ve weighed — not just the final decision or strategy.

• Articulate expectations. Clearly explaining why, how and when things need to happen will set expectations and create a healthy level of stress and pressure. It also establishes a mechanism for monitoring and addressing performance.

• Be visible. If you communicate well, you won’t be out of sight. Find ways to interact with all of your stakeholder groups.

• Confront problems and conflict. Don’t postpone dealing with challenging issues or conflict. By avoiding the difficult people or difficult issues, you can do great harm to yourself, your co-workers and your organization.

• Be honest and sincere. Communicate truthfully and honestly, follow through with what you say and avoid deception.

This article was adapted from the CCL publication Leading With Authenticity in Times of Transition.

Ensuring a successful delegation requires that you fully define/analyze the task ahead of time and think about what will be required of the person to whom it’s assigned. Each of the following should be considered before assigning anything to anyone.

1. What is the task?
-Be sure you can be specific about the task and have all the information you need to help your “delegatee” succeed at it.
-Know why this project needs to be done and why you want to delegate it.
-Know any issues that will have to be analyzed or resolved before the task can be delegated.

2.When is it due?
-Have a specific deadline, and know the consequences of missing it.
-Know how the task might be affected by outside factors, such as upstream tasks that may fall behind schedule.

3.What resources are available?
-Know what supporting resources are available – personnel, documents, etc.
-Be aware of any budgetary constraints on the task.

4. What is the outcome or deliverable?
-What are you looking for as a result – a report, a presentation?
-Figure out how you will measure success.

5. Who is the best person for this task?
-Think about the specific skills and experience that will be required.
-Consider the attitude that will be needed.
-Look at your team – whose skills fit the bill? Who has have the right attitude?
-Once you’ve picked the person, determine if they need any additional training.

Use of these questions will greatly eliminate misunderstandings and misconceptions about the task to be performed and the expected outcomes.

Excerpted from the CRM Learning program, A Leader’s Guide to Delegating.

Need more help in this area? For detailed information on this crucial step in the delegation process (along with several others) we recommend the entire A Leader’s Guide to Delegating program which introduces and illustrates a highly effective five-step delegation model.

Many of you are familiar with Emotional Intelligence. According to Daniel Goleman’s model, Self-Awareness is one of two domains in the area of Personal Competence. The second one is Self-Management which is not covered in this article.

You might think of Self-Awareness as setting the stage for your life. For that reason, it as an essential starting place from which you build the other important aspects of your life.

There are three areas in the Self-Awareness domain of Emotional Intelligence:

- Emotional Self-Awareness.

- Accurate Self-Assessment.

- Self-Confidence.

Emotional Self-Awareness is the ability to recognize your emotions and their effects. It has been said that there is no thinking without feeling and vice versa. Although we all have blind spots where we do not recognize our feelings, the more aware we are of what we are experiencing, the more learning is possible.

Emotions activate and chemically stimulate the brain. They are a critical source of information for learning and memory. Individuals who are high in emotional awareness:

- Know what they are feeling and why.

- Understand the connection between their feelings and what they think, say and do.

- Know how their feelings directly affect performance.

- Are aware of their values and goals.

Accurate Self-Assessment is the ability to know your inner resources, abilities and limits. We can have blind spots about our strengths and limitations, especially during times of stress when we tend to go on “automatic pilot.” Blind spots, among other things, can cause us to:

- Set unrealistic goals.

- Push others too hard.

- Need to seem perfect.

Individuals who are high in accurate self-assessment:

- Are aware of strengths and limitations.

- Learn more from experience.

- Are reflective and have a sense of humor.

- Are open to constructive feedback and self-development.

Self-Confidence is the ability to have a sense of your self-worth and accurately know your strengths. When self-confidence is appropriately high, you believe in what you can do with the skills you have. Anxiety levels tend to be low. Individuals who are self-confident:

- Welcome difficult assignments and challenges.

- Are self-assured.

- Can voice unpopular views.

- Are decisive and resilient.

Emotional intelligence is learned through experience, reflection and modeling over time. Time must be set aside with someone you trust and respect that will allow you to experiment with and practice new behaviors, thoughts and feelings to the point of mastery. The environment needs to be supportive, emotionally engaging and offer time for practice.

If you are interested in increasing your Self-Awareness, the following steps are necessary:

1. Believe self-improvement is important.

2. Know who you want to be.

3. Know your strengths and limitations as well as your values.

4. Seek out feedback – how you are perceived by others to determine the gap between who you want to be and who you are presently.

5. Work with a supportive, encouraging person you trust (a coach is ideal) who can guide and hold you accountable as you experiment with new thoughts, feelings and behavior in order to build on your strengths.

6. Practice these new behaviors over time until your ideal self is realized.

Increasing the three areas of Self-Awareness is worth the effort. It establishes the foundation upon which to build relationships and handle the challenges in your personal and professional life.

Maurine Patten, EdD. CMC – The Self-Confidence Sage has been empowering professionals to work collaboratively, increase motivation, and improve performance for the past 8 years using the latest research in neuroscience. Visit Maurine at: http://www.pattencoaching.com/services for details, client testimonials, and her free report “How to Be Resilient in Today’s World.” Mail to: mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com

Need help in this area? Today there is a growing body of science in the field of Emotional Intelligence (EI), indicating that proper understanding and use of emotions can help us be more effective workers and better communicators. CRM Learning’s video program, Emotional Intelligence, teaches that organizations that know this, and apply EI principles, come out ahead in employee morale, creativity, energy and productivity.