improve

It takes great leaders to help us raise our kids!

My son, Alex, recently started his first job as a bagger at Festival Foods. His leader, Mary Kay, just held a three-month review on his performance. When Alex told me he had a three-month review, I thought, Already?  His review lasted about 15 minutes and afterward he found me in the store doing some shopping. He had a smile that said “CONFIDENCE.” I asked him how it went. He said, “I’m a rock star!” and then gave me a broad smile. Later he told me how Mary Kay pointed out specific things he was doing right. She even gave examples from other leaders who noticed positive behavior. After building Alex up, she asked him a very powerful question: “What can I do to help make your employment here more enjoyable?”

This gave Alex an open door to share with Mary Kay how he likes variety and would be interested in learning how to be a cart runner and to be able to do both duties for a healthy variety. Mary Kay said, “I can do that.” She also asked him, “Where do you see where you can improve?” Alex shared his thoughts and Mary Kay made him feel that it was OK to make mistakes as long as we learn from them. I’ve been telling him that for years, but it took Mary Kay to remind him as his leader and direct him on how to improve for it to sink in.

Thank you to all leaders like Mary Kay who not only take the time to coach but take the time to listen. The leaders who have the guts to ask the most powerful Servant Leadership question, “What is it that I can do to help you?” Parents like me are depending on you to join our village and help our teenagers transition into becoming responsible adults.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Seek the feedback you need to help others you care about!

Do you know enough to care and care enough to know?

Corporate culture drives results. Improve the culture and you WILL improve the results. It’s why so many companies are investing in and evaluating their corporate culture. Beginning a culture change or shift is a senior leadership thing, not an HR thing. HR can assist and guide; however, the leadership team must be on the same page to ensure that the desired results from a shift or a change are achieved. When it comes to instilling Servant Leadership in your culture, you’ll want to focus on individuals along with results. Building a culture of accountability requires having measures in place to ensure that responsibilities are being met by each individual.

Building trust with your team is crucial for people to feel confident in making decisions and taking ownership of their individual responsibilities. This is a core element of Servant Leadership, and it begins with a simple understanding. First understand yourself, how you come across to others, and how people may perceive you. Then focus on understanding another person and then understanding a group. When you understand the beliefs and motivations of a team, real understanding can be created which leads to trust.

If the idea of a Servant Culture resonates with you, I invite you to become part of a movement we are starting that is growing across the state. Join Servant Leaders of Wisconsin, Fox River Valley Group, for our free quarterly meetings. On September 21st, Robert Chapman, CEO and chairman of Barry-Wehmiller, will share his people-centric philosophy that he and his team have replicated over and over in the dozens of companies they own across the world. Come to be inspired and meet like-minded people, and we’ll help you get started on your Servant Leadership journey.

E-mail me at joek@prophitmarketing.com to reserve your spot. Space is limited so please let me know how many will be attending. Meredith will send you more information on the event if you’re interested.

Change your culture, change your results!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Join us September 21st from 3-5 p.m. at The Marq. R.S.V.P. is appreciated.