Deliver Satisfaction As Value

“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.” Jesus Christ

To deliver satisfaction to employees, companies will need to adopt the concept of Truly Human Leadership or servant leadership. I got connected to Bob Chapman who mentored me on the concept of Truly Human Leadership. The simple definition of a Truly Human Leader is someone who serves others with care. Such leaders provide people with a sense of safety, hope, excitement, and confidence.

To deliver satisfaction, everyone within the company needs to become a truly human leader. People are satisfied when they are able to become all they can be. That is what a leader does. When people learn more, they will become more and then they can do more. John Quincy Adams describe a leader as someone whose “actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more.”

Organizations that have leaders who lead from a place of position or authority will not have satisfied employees. People must lead from a place of care and humility with the sole aim of making people better and bringing out their best. This makes leadership influence and not manipulation.

Humans want to be led and not managed or manipulated. When you view people as resources that can be managed, you will think that the basics of salary and a safe workplace is enough to keep them satisfied. However, if you see them as human, you will understand that what satisfies them is very different. Humans need hope, excitement, and confidence to feel safe.

It is hard to flourish in an environment where one is managed and limited. Human satisfaction is a function of freedom, authenticity, and creativity. You need to ask yourself the following questions to know whether your people are satisfied:

1. Are they free to do work they love?

2. Are we empowering them to be themselves?

3. Is the work allowing them to be creative?

People can only be satisfied when they know that their work will allow them to be all they can be, do all they can, and earn all they can. In most workplaces, this is hindered by bureaucracy and hierarchy. People have to wait in line for years before they can aspire to be what they always desire to be no matter their contributions.

1. Care: You won’t care for them except you see them as humans. Leaders who care ensure that they put in place a system that keeps people safe and that they do the job they love and not just any job.

2. Listen: You won’t listen to them unless you feel that what they are saying has value. When we listen to people, they feel respected and honored. Managers may see feedback as complaints, but leaders see every complaint as feedback to improve and be better. People feel valued and appreciated when they know they are heard.

3. Empower: You can’t empower them except you believe in them. To empower means to give your employees the power to make decisions and take steps. That way they enable people to reach their full potential. When you empower people, you transform them into assets to themselves, the organization, their families, and the community. They become people who take responsibility for their lives and everything around them.

4. Develop: You cannot develop them into better leaders without first seeing the value and leadership potential in them. Your employees will be more satisfied when they develop into better leaders. The major job of a Truly Human Leader is to develop others to be leaders. Every employee has the potential to be a leader. You have to mentor and coach people to become leaders. This makes them the product of the company and the best way to give back to society. When your company becomes a place to develop leaders, the community around you will benefit greatly from it.

The Truly Human Culture PLaybook Co-creation allows companies to design a playbook to satisfy their employees. You can be part of this and be eligible to receive a free copy of the Playbook when published in addition to being a contributor to the design process.