2009 August

A Win-Win

I’m sure most of you have heard of Fortune magazine’s annual list of “100 Best Companies to Work For”.  But did you know that many of the top companies included in this list share one common thread? Servant Leadership!

For those of who you don’t know, Prophit Marketing is also a Servant Leadership company, as influenced by grocery client Festival Foods which has been successfully practicing it for years.

As rated by employees, the top companies in Fortune magazine’s list are shown to simultaneously deliver outstanding service and financial returns while being a great place to work. These companies also have the following in common:
1) 50% lower turnover than industry standards
2) Make an effort to create a supportive and inclusive company culture
3) Take more steps to engage employees
4) Greater concern for employees’ quality of life
5) Contribute to the community by participating in charitable programs
6) High employee satisfaction as a result of staff support services and policies
7) High customer satisfaction as a result of satisfied employees
Great profit and growth as a result of customer satisfaction

The bottom line: satisfied, loyal, and productive employees create value for the customer and, in turn, higher profits. Sounds like a win-win to me!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Read more on the subject in Focus on Leadership: Servant Leadership for the 21st Century with essays by Warren Bennis, Stephen Covey, Margaret Wheatley, and John Bogle.

Take a Genuine Interest in Others

Do you want to be the leader? Do you want to make a difference for the people in your life? Take a genuine interest in what drives them! My friend, an expert in relationships, told me that our personalities and values are formed by age eleven. Can you believe that?

When my son turned twelve I called my expert friend and I said (being funny), “Well, Alex turned 12 my job is over now. I can no longer shape his values or personality.” He said to me, “You’re right, now you need to support what he likes.”

My boy likes skateboarding. He practices many hours a day and quite frankly he’s grown his skills quite fast. I told Alex I would build him a mini-ramp (that’s a skateboarding half-pipe kind of thing) in our backyard if he did well on his report card. The only problem is we have no real backyard. I started ripping up an old planter and had eight cedar trees removed to make way for the ramp. Alex held up his end of the bargain. His report card was wonderful.

I started researching skateboarding ramps and discovered to my shock that I need to reserve enough space to cover 12 feet by 20 feet! Doesn’t sound too mini to me! After telling this story to a group of friends one said to me, “I didn’t know you liked skateboarding so much.” My response, “I don’t, I like my son.”

Let me ask you this: do you like your employees? Do you take a genuine interest in their likes and dislikes? Do you know what they’re passionate about? It’s worth your time to find out. When you decide to take a genuine interest in the people you lead, wonderful things start to happen. You end up creating a well-oiled machine.

Don’t go to work and just get by. Decide to commit yourself to the people you lead.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: It’s more important to be interested than to be interesting. Go out and be interested in others!

Are You a Poser?

My 13 year-old son, Alex, educated me on the new term for not being authentic—“poser”. He is an extremely talented skateboard dude! He’s only been skateboarding for a couple of years and his skills reflect that of a four year boarder. Early on, he would have me shoot video of him doing tricks—which he wouldn’t always land. So, he would edit two takes together to make it look like he did land them and then shared the video on YouTube. His simple cinematographic edits were obvious.

He would receive YouTube comments accusing him of being a poser (which he admits he was at the time). Now I am happy to report, Alex is no poser. His tricks are authentic and he’s quite good. This example, however, is exactly the essence of marketing. Today with the social media, people have access to authenticity like they never did before. With Twitter we can learn if our favorite celebrity likes fishing or shopping at Macy’s.

People don’t want smoke and mirrors. They want the brands they interact with to be authentic and definitely have no poser qualities. Is your brand authentic? Do you have a social networking strategy to allow you to connect with your customer? Do you see your brand through rose-colored glasses? Do you deliver on your marketing promise?

Authenticity and consistency can build any brand assuming you are delivering on your marketing promise. Now go out and be yourself!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: If you need help with your social networking plan, contact me for a free consultation with our social networking guru. You need to get in the game.

A Little Trust Goes a Long Way

I’m about to come back to the office after a glorious three weeks of rest, relaxation, and time with the family. I’ve been keeping in touch with the Prophiteers from time to time, but for the most part have been out of the picture.

For many of you leaders reading this, you’re probably wondering, “What has that Kiedinger guy gotten himself into?” Or “How can the office possibly continue to run that long without him?”

I know that upon my return tomorrow, all will be as it should be. I know this because I’ve gathered a great team of incredibly talented individuals to take the reins when I’m not around. By placing trust and in the hands of the Prophiteers every day while I am around and explaining systems of “this is how we do it here”, the office can continue to run smoothly when I’m gone.

You see, it’s these people who are not only there to back me up while I’m away, but they’re also the people who would continue to run the business should anything happen to me. What a great feeling to know that our clients are well supported and our company culture is carried out even when I’m absent.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Start placing more trust in your people and make sure they understand your own “this is how we do it here” system. They’re there to support you, your clients/customers, and carry out your company vision.