Serving is the New Leading

Not really. It's AWAYS been serving. When we get that through our sometimes-thick heads, then we are in good territory.

My wife and I went to dinner last Friday. We went early as we were going to a screening of a new film across the street from the restaurant. It was 5:30 on a Friday evening on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. A street dotted with restaurants, most of which were sparsely populated with diners at that hour. As we approached R+D Kitchen, we saw that was definitely not the case at our destination. Couples were outside with cocktail-in-hand, larger parties milling in the small bar area, the dining area was full, and we were told that a table for 2 would be about a 30-minute wait. (They do not accept reservations). We settled into the bar and waited for an opportunity to order a drink, when we were called to our table - happily within about 15 minutes.

We asked each other "What makes this restaurant so special?" Surely the rest of the dining spots on Montana would soon be filled, but why was this one packed so early? We pondered the possible reasons - it had a nice "vibe", and the food is good. These things are probably true at the place next door or the one in the next block. We ordered an entree and a salad to split, and the server asked if we wanted the salad first, to which we answered in the affirmative.

In seemingly no time, the entree came out first (another server, not the person who took our order) and we said "Oh, I guess, the salad won't be first." the server mumbled an apology and asked if she should take it away until after the salad came. We decided it wasn't that important. The salad came a few minutes later and all of it was delicious.

About 10 minutes into our meal, a woman approached the table, introduced herself as one of the managers and apologized for the mix-up with the food. She let us know that she had "taken care of the salad" and assured us that it is not their practice to deliver food out of order.

My wife and I looked at each other and simultaneously said "That's why it's busy here!" It's important to note:

• We did not complain - only mentioned the mix-up to the server
• Somewhere in the background, the server let someone know that the food was delivered out of order
• A manager took notice and promptly made it her business to correct the mistake
• This manger, one of a few (?), was empowered to make things right
• The food was delicious!

And just like that, they have a loyal customer. We attend movies across the street regularly and we'll be back.

At the core of this interaction was SERVICE. Service not in the sense that someone took our order and brought us food, (you get that many places) but rather, the sense that the entire organization cared to make sure things were done properly. They clearly have a culture of ensuring a great dining experience with delicious food. When diners are truly served, then they become loyal, and wait in line for 30+ minutes for a table. And show up early to ensure their spot.

This doesn't just happen. Someone had to start the ball rolling at some point. I submit, it was a conscious LEADER, bent on SERVING anyone that walked in that door. And they passed that thinking/being on to the entire organization. Probably by SERVING them as they went about their jobs.

I was speaking to the owner of a boutique service business about the challenges she has in delivering their services, especially when faced with competition from larger, more "corporate" entities. Her business relies not only on bringing in customers, but also in bringing in contractors to help serve those customers. She founded this business to help people (and make a profit in the process). The goal is to help all of the people involved. Her staff, the contractors and the end customers. It is her - and her teams' - goal to ensure everyone has a great experience. She often hears stories from the contractors saying they were coerced, limited or otherwise disenfranchised by the larger company and their practices. And similarly, the customers are telling her that they are treated "like a number", made to give large deposits and hear nothing back, with zero progress, from the company for over a year, or told stories about how smaller companies can't help in the same way and they shouldn't trust them.

Appearances suggest that the larger company is looking to serve themselves - and convince enough people that they are serving them that they make a profit. While my friend's company just has SERVING in their DNA and they just keep trucking along, breaking their own records year after year.

Imagine the force that larger company would be if they were truly SERVING their people. Both the customer AND the contractor.

So, what's the solution? How does an organization become a truly SERVICE-oriented organization? As LEADERS, I think it boils down to one thing. US. We are the answer to making our organization behave in this way. And the only path to that is to do it authentically. Making it our mission to be of service. When we do that, we are providing a strong VALUE. People pay for value. Dinner with good food and a nice vibe is of value. Add in top-notch service, it is worth paying extra. It has more value to many people. Enough so they show up early, and happily wait their turn for a table.

How do you create a culture of service in your organization? Let us know in the comments what's working so we can all benefit. Or, where are you getting stuck? There's no reason ALL businesses can't have SERVICE and VALUE at their core.