Servant Leadership: Fostering Community & Teamwork

1. Servant Leadership: The Key to Fostering Community and Teamwork Tom Darrow • April 30, 2009 SHRM Staffing Management Conference & Exposition

2. Tom Darrow • Founder and Principal of Talent Connections, LLC and Career Spa, LLC • Talent Connections, Inc. 500 company in 2007 and 2008 • 20 years in HR/Recruiting • 10 years with Price Waterhouse and Andersen Consulting • BBA in Accounting, University of Notre Dame • Past President, SHRM-Atlanta (2006-2007) • Grew by 1,000 (60%) members to 2,600 members • Won 2 Pinnacle Awards • SHRM Georgia State Council President-Elect • Member, Advisory Council, SHRM Foundation Board • Former Member, SHRM Staffing Management Expert Panel • Resides in Roswell, GA with wife Anne

3. Why? Why do we have a topic on Servant Leadership at a Staffing Conference?

4. Leadership • What is the root cause of most challenges in companies today? A. Lack of technology B. Lack of available cash C. Lack of leadership D. Lack of efficient processes or strategies • Are effective leaders born or made?

5. Leadership Styles • Heroic - unplanned crisis • Courageous – bold • Authentic - transparent • Laissez Faire – hands off • Autocratic – top down • Participative – empowerment • Situational – changes • Emergent – new leader • Transactional – by the rules

6. Leadership Styles • Transformational – change agent • Strategic – competitive • Team – collaboration • Facilitative – consensus • Cross cultural – diversity/inclusion • Coaching – teach and train • Level 5 – good to great • Servant – others first

7. Servant Leadership • Robert K. Greenleaf is credited with introducing the concept in 1970 • Definition: “Servant Leadership begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve; to serve first.” Robert K. Greenleaf • Ultimate test: Do those served grow as persons; become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?

8. The power of servant-leadership • Lies in one’s ability to combine the best of being a leader with the best of being a servant • Not something you do, but something you are • About creating the right environment to get the best out of people and unleash their true potential

9. Servant-leadership, paradox? • “Servant” and “leader” usually thought of as opposites • Both logical and intuitive • The process of balancing the two concepts is not either/or, but both/and Servant Leader

10. What is servant leadership? • The need for a better approach to leadership, that puts serving others first • Employees, customers, community • True leadership, unlike management is not just a set of skills and learned behaviors. What you do as a leader depends on who you are. Through your behavior, people can determine who you are.

11. Who do you most admire? Who do you most admire?

12. Who are servant leaders? • The servant-leader is a servant first • Servant leaders are hard working • Servant leadership is a conscious choice • Servant leaders aren’t just legally compliant, they are ethically sound and morally aware • Servant leaders care for people; not control people • Servant leaders build a community at work

13. The characteristics of servant leaders • Authentic • Vulnerable • Accepting • Present • Useful Let’s investigate each one…

14. Authentic • Be who you are • Honor what is good in people • Don’t tell people what they want to hear…tell them the truth • Communicate bad news…not just good news

15. Vulnerable • Be honest with your feelings in the context of work • Be open about your feelings and concerns • Employee performance reviews • Your performance • Admit mistakes • Be courageous! • “Courage Goes to Work”, Bill Treasurer

16. Accepting • Abandon notion of winners and losers • Don’t just say that mistakes are ok, celebrate them! • Trust on good faith without requiring others earn it first • Don’t micromanage subordinates • Re-define success

17. Be Present • Notice what you are thinking and feeling • Concentrate on the task at hand…even when chaos reigns • Give others your full attention

18. Be Useful • Listen first • Perform your core responsibilities to a high level; then you will have earned the right to be given more • The Theology of the Hammer, Millard Fuller • Be a resource for others • Don’t do for people what they are capable of doing themselves

19. More characteristics of servant leaders • Empathy • Listening • Healing • Awareness • Persuasion • Commitment • Conceptualization • Foresight • Stewardship • Building Community

20. SERVE S…See the Future E…Engage and Develop People R…Reinvent Continuously V…Value Results and Relationships E…Embody the Values Source: “Leading at a Higher Level”, Ken Blanchard

21. The Impact of Servant Leadership • Servant-leadership principles are being applied by a wide variety of people working for-profit, non-profit, churches, universities, health care organizations, and foundations • Servant-leadership impacts the health and effectiveness of your organization and community • It builds trust between you and the employees • It results in loyalty to the leader and the organization

22. In practice • Starbucks • Workshops • Activities • Employees join the Starbucks team because of their core purpose, great people and customers • Chick-fil-A • Spiritually focused • Corporate Purpose: To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A. • Closed on Sundays • Truett Cathy’s acts of forgiveness

23. Simple Advice • Build relationships at every opportunity. The results could be endless. • Allow time for good ideas to emerge. • It is not change people fear; it is loss. • Meaningful communication is critical. No amount of e-mail, faxes, text messages can equal the value of face-to-face meetings.

24. Servant Leadership at Work • Focus on you first, your team second and the company third • Volunteer to help in other departments • Be an innovative business partner; not just order taker • Seek to train company leaders in the art and practice of servant leadership

25. Servant Leadership in the Profession • Give back to the HR/Recruiting Profession • Mentor someone • Help those who are in transition • Become a leader in a professional organization • SHRM • Staffing Management Affiliate • Staffing Management expert panel • Local Chapter • Local recruiting organization

26. Servant Leadership in the Profession • Share what you have learned • Speak • Write • Webinars

27. Servant Leadership in the Community • Volunteer in a significant role with a significant organization • Mentor • Church/ministry • Neighborhood

28. How do you become a servant leader? • By studying and practicing servant leadership skills • Study • Reading, observations • Lessons, workshops, conferences • Discuss

29. Concluding thoughts • How will you use what you have learned today and become more proactive in your leadership development? • Will you strive to be a servant leader? • What will it take to cultivate a genuine desire to serve? • Remember the first sentence in “A Purpose Driven Life”

30. Homework • Get to know yourself Assessments • Research servant leadership concepts • Commit to be a servant leader • Secure a mentor • Seek feedback to assess your progress

31. Thank you! Tom Darrow Founder and Principal Talent Connections, LLC and Career Spa, LLC 175 Inverness Approach Roswell, GA 30075 770-552-1550 ext. 111 TomDarrow@talentconnections.net www.talentconnections.net www.careerspa.net