Leadership as service
peaceandlove
WeekFive-ServiceCulture.pptxLDRS 300: Leadership as service
Lecture #9
Creating a Service Culture
Unless otherwise noted material and ideas for this lecture are based on the book, The service culture handbook (2017) by Jeff Toister
Toister, Jeff. (2017). The Service Culture Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Employees Obsessed with Customer Service. Toister Performance Solutions.
creating a service culture – What is culture?
What is a culture?
“The critic Raymond Williams, in his souped-up dictionary, “Keywords,” writes that “culture” has three divergent meanings.
https://www.newyorker.com/books/joshua-rothman/meaning-culture
#1 Individual enrichment
1. There’s culture as a process of individual enrichment, as when we say that someone is “cultured” (in 1605, Francis Bacon wrote about “the culture and manurance of minds”);
#2 a group’s way of life
2. Culture as a group’s “particular way of life,” as when we talk about French culture, company culture, or multiculturalism.
#3 Culture as activity
3. Culture as an activity, pursued by means of the museums, concerts, books, and movies that might be encouraged by a Ministry of Culture (or covered on a blog like this one).
Definition of corporate / organizational culture
“Corporate/ [organizational] culture is the way an organization’s members think, act and understand the world around them”.
(Toister, 2017, p. 8)
9
How do we understand an organization’s culture?
Edgar Schein, Researcher and Business Management Professor specializing in organizational culture says this:
“In analyzing the culture of a particular group or organization it is desirable to distinguish three fundamental levels at which culture manifests itself:
(a) observable artifacts,
(b) values, and
(c) basic underlying assumptions. “
Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/Lszlrvai/so-how-are-things-really-done-around-here-culture
So what is a service culture?
“So service culture is an organizational culture where there is a collective way employees think about providing outstanding service, act to provide it, and understand how and why they do it.
My shorthand definition is a service culture is one where employees are obsessed with customer service.”
Jeff Toister, 2017, p. xi
“We should be about more than just selling chicken. We should be a part of our customers’ lives and the communities in which we serve.” S. Truett Cathy, Founder of Chik-Fil-A
So why do culture initiatives fail?
Companies try to adopt or borrow some other company's ”service way” without understanding their own unique people, products and values.
Leaders are not committed to the work it takes to create and sustain great customer service - time, money, training, evaluating and ongoing goals to improve and expand their service culture.
Employees are unclear about what the service organizational culture actually is.
Employees are not trained, mentored or coached in the service culture ways or they see a disconnect with what the company says and what they actually do.
We, individually, always have a choice how we will show up in whatever work, school or social environment we find ourselves in
So what kind of culture will you create when it comes to serving others?
Tedx talk – Maastricht 2011
Jan Gunnarsson is a hospitality industry veteran from Sweden who exhibits a refreshing take upon customer service and leadership. Jan believes customer experience is not in the first place about strategies and tactics but about the attitude we bring.
Jan talks about how the heart of a business is an attitude of yourself. Hostmanship is the book he wrote with Olle Blohm.
Hostmanship really is about giving. It's about sharing a part of yourself and your knowledge. It’s about treating others as you yourself would want to be treated and remembering that no one can make that decision for you – how you show up each day is your choice.
More than service… practice hostmanship
Some final thoughts…
1. Create a world where people feel loved and accepted.
2. Nobody can spoil my day without my permission.
3. A welcoming mindset where the relationship is not merely employee & customer but host & guest.
4. It starts with welcoming yourself when you get up each morning. Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself like you would want others to treat you – respect, honor, friendship, laughter, love.
For next week
1. Group Presentations Next Week
2.. Read Toister Chapters 5-12
3. Check the moodle for this week’s readings and other important information.
