More businesses than ever before are discovering that service leadership is a great way to increase their profits. Service leadership can be defined as leading by helping others. After getting involved, many report, however, that their organization is the one that experiences the most positive change. Consider these facts if you are going to introduce service leadership to your organization.
Everyone Else is Doing It
While everyone seems to be doing service leadership, there is always room for your organization to join the crowd in a unique way that will make you stand out. Lots of companies make humanitarian work and service a part of their identity- Intuit, Patagonia, doTERRA, and Hyatt, to name a few. While more companies are prioritizing philanthropy through the giving of funds, others realize that they are in a special position to be able to help solve problems around the world. Therefore, many are forming partnerships with non-governmental agencies around the world. Some companies are involved with time-bound projects while others are involved with ongoing sustained partnerships. Finally, other corporations are involved in setting up knowledge forums allowing people to share information without becoming directly involved in its implementation.
Service Helps You Stay Grounded
One of the main reasons that service leadership works is that it helps people from the top down within an organization stay grounded. There are many different projects that can be done as team-building activities. For example, a company may want to help Habitat for Humanity build homes in their local communities while others may want to organize Relay for Life walks in their communities. Corporations with more than one location may even want to set up friendly competitions rewarding those who perform best. Many corporations like grocery-giant HEB and Walmart have mobile units that they dispatch in times of emergency to take supplies straight to affected people. Others, like NetHope, connect nonprofits with corporations that can meet technology needs so that efforts are not being duplicated.
Benefits of Service Leadership
There are many benefits of service leadership. Most corporations experience stronger morale within the company and less turnover. Employees often become more productive so that they can have time to work on special projects after their regular work is completed. Corporations often report that their employees recognize each other’s values and strength better after working together as a team.
Use these ideas and your own ingenuity to introduce service leadership into your own organization. You will likely watch your employees grow while your organization becomes stronger.
If you need some guidance on how to lead better or how to help your employees work better, make sure to schedule a consultation with us for our executive coaching course!