"How May I Serve You Today?"

My career as a therapist, consultant, and chaplain has taken me throughout the United States and Canada to collaborate with companies large and small.

When I partnered with Major General Karl Horst (US Army-RET, and former Chief of Staff at US Central Command)) and delivered the keynote address to the national meeting of the College Hunks Hauling Junk company in the Tampa area, one of the franchise owners asked me, "If you could summarize all of your work, experience, and ministry in a single concept that we could employ to grow our franchise, what would it be?" My answer was simple, direct, and one that can completely energize any company's success. And, to be sure, our business economy, especially in the areas of team member development and customer service, is desperate for renewal and rejuvenation in the 21st century.

A few weeks ago I visited an outpatient imaging center for an elbow x-ray. As I entered the door a young woman glanced up from her I-pad and with a harsh, expressionless glare said, "Name?"---not "Hello," "Good afternoon," or "Do you have an appointment?" --- No ---- "NAME?" A friend shared with me a recent visit to a restaurant with his wife. The server approached their table with, "Here's a couple menus. I'll be back later to find out what you want."

I'm certain anyone reading this article could contribute a time or two in the not too distant past when they suffered through similar experiences. Most companies just don't get it, and for them, staff retention and legendary service is on life-support. If I asked you to identify five legendary service organizations in the United States today, you would be hard-pressed to name one or two. It doesn't have to be that way.

So, what was the answer that I gave to the franchise owner's question at the College Hunks Hauling Junk meeting? What was that single concept that summarized my work as a therapist, consultant, and chaplain that would help them grow their franchise? It was this: Serve your people and give them the tools and support that need to serve your customers. In other words, do whatever it takes to build and to nurture a servant hearts culture.

Making it even more basic, there is only one important question that leaders should be asking their team members routinely and it is the same question that team members should be asking their customers ---- the most important culture question of our time --- HOW MAY I SERVE YOU TODAY? All effective business practices are grounded in that compassionate inquiry.

How can you tell if you are working for a company with a servant heart's culture? Here are a few of the key indicators:

1. "Manager" isn't a term in their vocabulary. You will be working with a "leader."
2. You will never be referred to as an "employee." You will always be valued as a "team member."
3. You will have a PGDP (Personal Growth & Development Plan) from day one so that you can see a clear path for growth within the organization.
4. Your orientation to the company would have included extensive training in what your mission is in their servant hearts culture.
5. You will at some point have an opportunity to serve on a Process Improvement Team (PIT Crew) to address areas in need of improvement because your experience and ideas are recognized as critically important to the achievement of organizational goals.

In servant heart cultures, ownership understands that power is a meaningless and empty commodity without authority. Your leader has power by virtue of their role within the organization, but they only have authority if you give it to them based upon your respect for their leadership. Leaders have both power and authority. Managers have power only, and ultimately short-circuit the progress of the entire company.

The question becomes, then, if leaders with power and authority are so important in driving a company's growth and success, is there a model for recruiting, selecting, and hiring servant heart leaders? As a chaplain and a Christian, the leader that I admire most is Jesus Christ, the epitome of both power and authority in a servant heart context. When we read Mark 10:45, we hear the words of Jesus Himself --- For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. And again, in Luke 22:27 --- I am among you as one who serves.

The rewards of laboring in this type of environment are as meaningful for the servant as they are for the customer. After I introduced myself as the chaplain to a patient waiting for surgery, she appeared to be uncomfortable with the temperature in the pre-op area. I asked her, "May I serve you with a warm blanket before they take you back for surgery?" She didn't respond right away and then I saw her eyes filling with tears. The woman, maybe 70 years old, reached out, took my hand and said, "The nurses and everyone have been so kind to me here. I'll take that blanket. But first I want you to know how much I love you all."

Legendary customer service and long-term corporate growth and profitability isn't rocket science. No, it's the work of dedicated leaders and their followers whose universal approach to life is found in the most important culture question of our time: How may I serve you today?