Robert Greenleaf changed the way management was defined by introducing servant l

Question

Robert Greenleaf changed the way management was defined by introducing servant leadership in 1970. The important characteristics were listed for effective servant leadership. This includes the quality of effective communication and skill of decision making. This is essential for reinforcing a sense of deep commitment and reflecting on the important needs. Another important quality is of healing and awareness for understanding the issues effectively and recognizing the unique spirits. Awareness lends more holistic approach along with persuasion which is an important quality. Servant Leadership has a commitment to the growth of the employees and serve the customers effectively and consistently. Servant Leadership is an important leadership model for organizations and businesses which can also be customized.

The organization which uses servant leadership is Chick-fil-A. The fast-food giant has massive growth and it has experienced a growth of Korean than 10 percent in one year after its launch in 1946. It has the retention rate of around 95 to 97 percent. Chick-fil-A has important guiding principles. It effectively makes use of recruitment of talent which is depended on the qualities of character, competency, and chemistry assessment. The employees are nurtured and honesty is maintained for the sake of their performance. There is a future created of trust and it adds value to the relationship. It also focuses on sharing a culture with the partners and embrace the Second-Mile-Service philosophy. It has its signature response of "it's my pleasure" while serving the customers working on the core model of servant leadership.

Another example is Southwest Airlines which is well known for its excellent customer service. It has important values of delivering effective service and commitment to the brand. It serves the customers openly with respect and dedication.  The Southwest brand is used as the characteristic to live by for the employees. The value of servant's heart comes across effectively. It focuses on the personal values and beliefs which motivates the behavior. Both the companies have an engaging audience, loyal customers and profitability are high. Servant leadership is practiced effectively by both the companies.

Based on your research, what company stood out the most and why?

Explanation / Answer

Before we judge what company stood out the most and the reasons behind, lets take a closer look at the ethical and behavioural patterns of each company individually.

Chick - fil - A :

The success of any organization depends on what kind of values and principles are nutured by its founders.

A business without ethics and values is not trustworthy which means, it cannot survive.

Now looking at the aspects Chick - fil - A focused on, these are some very basics any organization needs to adopt to as trust is on what a business is built.

More the trust, more the reliability and a stronger goodwill, which will inturn attract more customers because they start believing in the practices of company.

But when is this achievable?

Like Richard Branson once said, and I quote, " take care of your employees and they will take care of your customers ". If the employees are happy, they will be motivated to help the customer by going that "extra mile".

This is possible only when there is a very cordial relation between the management and the staff. For this, a very clear and effective communication in all formats ( mails, verbal or visual aids such as posters ) is imperative.

Secondly, respecting employees as fellow human beings and setting clear expectations out of their job roles is even more crucial.

Where confusion exists, deceit and dishonesty start cropping up. Where dishonesty arises, the service quality provided to the customers is very adversly impacted.

At times a staff member maybe demotivated and when this happens, the leaders should take every care to ensure the employee is relieved of the stress he/she is going through and encourage them to get back into the groove.

Physio and psychological barriers play an important role in motivation of the staff.

Servant leadership also emphasizes in the practice of the leaders being a servant first to understand what an employee faces while on the job. This type of leadership focuses more on the welfare of the staff and makes them feel involved with the job, thereby encouraging them take more responsibility and keeping the customers happy.

Same is the case with Southwest Airlines where its staff are valued a lot by their management and a lot of importance is given for their welfare.

So as far as the both companies are concerned, both are unique in their customised approach of servant leadership within their organizations and are honest in telling their staff and their customers that they "truly care".

These are some of the best practices which should be adopted by the other organizations.

Therefore, in my view, they both come together as joint winners.

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