High Performance Leadership

  Happiness is a product of service. You can look for it in a million other ways. You can invent reasons why you can avoid the secret, but the secret remains. Joy comes from sharing. Love comes from caring. Happiness is a product of service. -- doug smith

Do you like yard sales? I know that some people do. The few times that I've participated in yard sales there were always eager shoppers there BEFORE the announced opening time. I've even seen a man (who was extremely well-dressed for yard sale shopping) carrying a map with all of the local yard sales marked, numbered in the order of starting time and access. He was looking for extreme bargains, with some very specific items in mind (he had to have boundaries, he was making the circuit on his bicycle.) Some people love yard sales. The bargains, the sudden finds, the thrill of the hunt. I do not enjoy them as much, because some have an air of desperation: please buy this crap that I don't want anymore. It's not all crap. But, some is. One particular yard sale that wore me out and sucked the joy out of them for me was set up by my significant other at the time. It's the yard sale in the picture above. That's it, just about -- the whole yard sale. Do you se...

How much of leadership is service? Maybe a better question is, how much should it be? It is not unusual to struggle with serving and being served. As we progress as leaders, it can feel as if we need to be served a bit more. We have people report to us. We have responsibilities and levels of authority. And yet, at the heart of it all, isn't what high performance leaders do most is serve? We serve our mission. We serve our goals. And, most importantly, we serve our people. Team members, customers, constituents, peers, leaders...we serve our community. When we do that, it suddenly all makes much more sense. The strongest motivator is service to others. Are you ready to serve? How will you serve your people today? -- doug smith

It's easy to think of ourselves first. And, if we're not careful, it's just as easy to think of ourselves last. Honestly, it's easy to think about ourselves all the time. Sometimes I've done it. But do you know where the biggest payoff is? Do you know where the most profound joy is? The biggest kick the best reward is in helping others. The strongest action is seldom the self-centered one. The strongest action is one that helps another. -- doug smith

How much time do you spend watching your team interact with its customers? I know, time is hard to find. We all have commitments and goals to achieve. We all struggle with our various deliverables. But, imagine the impact you could enjoy by spending more time with your team members. Not to monitor. Not to spy on them. To enjoy their company, to reinforce your team values, to show them your own commitment to serving. When the leader serves with joy and enthusiasm, that spreads to the rest of the team. They will follow your lead. You can't fake this, though. You must really enjoy interacting with and serving your customers. And if you don't, it's worth considering if you've yet to find the right calling and customers. Healthy teams serve with joy. Healthy service starts with the leader. Who are you serving today? -- Doug Smith

How does it feel when someone expects too much from you? I've known people, sometimes customers, sometimes team members, some times family members, who simply cannot be pleased. Nothing is ever enough. No matter how I've tried to meet their needs, those needs are deeper than the well of resources that I draw from. They wear me out. I've learned that there are limits. High performance leaders do serve their constituents, and they do it gladly. But they also recognize their limits. At some point, people need to step up and reach for their own goals. At some point we need to step aside. You can never give anyone everything that they need. That's their job. Who do you need to step aside from today? How will they know that you mean it? -- Doug Smith

Did you ever offer someone help and then realize that they needed way more help than you could give? We often say we'd like to help, but keep it so general that the person receiving the offer doesn't know what it means. And, if they think it means "help with everything" that can be a bigger load than we're ready to carry. Be careful about assuming that a little help is all anyone needs. Some people need more. It might be too much. I've learned to offer specific things - can I cut your lawn? can I review your notes with you? can I come over and keep you company for an hour? can I take you out for coffee and chat? We know what specific offers mean and can accept them or let them go. It's something. And, if they need more -- we can always offer something more. But not the moon. You probably can't deliver the moon. -- Doug Smith

"I'll help you fellow baby!" Photo by Christopher Smith Have you thought about leadership as an act of service? Imagine that you're in a meeting with an organization you care about. The agenda is unseen, the progress is stalling, and things feel out of control. Do you step in to help? That's leadership. What about a cause that matters? Do you contribute? Do you send your thoughts and ideas to people who can influence the outcomes? Do you influence the outcomes? That's leadership. Leadership development begins with serving. Opportunities abound. - help at a local school - serve food at a local kitchen for the homeless - volunteer as a fire fighter - teach Sunday school - contribute to causes that matter to you - help build houses with Habitat for Humanity If you want, you can find a cause that resonates with you and then help. It will build your leadership skills. It will increase your potential. And, it will help to create a better world....

How do you treat your team members when it comes to delivering top notch service to customers? What if some of those customers are difficult? REALLY difficult? Can you possibly take care of customers without first taking care of your team members? That means that we do not sacrifice team members at the alter of service. Yes, customers are entitled to great service but NO, they don't get to trash our team members in the process. One of my current team members tells me of a story about working at Trader Vic's. He said that if a customer abused you, the manager politely walked that customer out of the store. Abuse of team members was never welcome. Abusive customers can shop someone else. Centered leaders satisfy customers without sacrificing team members. In the end, that leads to better service for everyone. -- Douglas Brent Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com