Servant Spirit is foundational.

Last week I presented “Selected Squared” to a group of managers in an organization of nearly 1,000 employees. Click here to view the original post that contains the Select Squared slidedeck.

At every level in outstanding organizations, leaders and employees embrace a spirit of service to others that is reflected in their behaviors. Here’s what I mean.

When I started my business a few years ago, I had the privilege of working with a startup community bank here in Lynchburg – Select Bank (for whom Select Squared was coined). Wayne Carpenter, their CEO at the time, exemplified the idea of leader as servant more than any other person I’ve met in the entirety of my professional career. In every interaction I observed Wayne had with others, he:

• Employed great listening skills
• Treated people with respect
• Gave encouragement
• Appreciated people
• Was committed to the success of others

Wayne served others through his behaviors.

Today, that same leader servant spirit continues at Select Bank in CEO J. Michael Thomas. Mike cares about his people, an idea that is demonstrated through sacrifice.

Last winter when the Select Bank building was completed, I stopped in for a visit. To my surprise, Mike was not in the corner office, nor any of the picturesque spaces overlooking the duck pond. Instead, he chose to make his office in the middle of the building, in a space with a less than awe-inspiring view. Immediately I knew this was an indication of leader who serves, rather than one who expects to be served. (As I type these words, I remember what Jesus said in Mark 10:45.)

That day I was reminded of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, who makes his office in the middle of a cube farm. Watch a snippet of the Zappos story on Oprah.

Now, take a moment and think of outstanding organizations that consistently deliver excellent service. Have one or two in mind? Wouldn’t you agree that leaders and employees in those organizations fully embrace the idea of Servant Spirit through their behaviors and their sacrifice? I’m pretty sure those leader servants would never toot their own horns.

Why not toot for them? Tell me more about those folks and about your positive experiences with leader servants in the comments section below.

(Creative Commons photo Mother Theresa by Kevin Van Lierop.)

Yesterday I had the privilege to present “Select Squared” to a group of managers from throughout Virginia and West Virginia. Take a peek at the presentation below.

Can you fill in the blanks for each of the following?

• S______________ S______________
• E______________ E______________
• L______________ L______________
• E______________ E______________
• C______________ C______________
• T______________ T______________

Leave your guesses in the comments section. I’ll share the details on the next few posts.

(If you’ve participated in this session before, no guessing allowed. Instead, why not comment about your favorite part of the presentation?)

How long, O Lord, will I avoid you? How long will I delay my obedience, which is, in fact, disobedience? How long, O Lord, will I allow my fear of failure, fear of imperfection, fear of doing it wrong — how long, O Lord, will these fears hold me back?

How long, O Lord, will my blurry picture of the Promised Land keep me from taking the next step out of the wilderness?

How long, O Lord, will the raw emotion that wraps itself around my throat, grip my voice, both literally and figuratively?

And how long, O Lord, will all of this keep me from true intimacy with you and vulnerability with others?

How long, O God? How long?
How long, O God? How long?
How long, O God? How long?

I am as paralyzed as the man on the mat. I am the one who waits by the pool. I am the woman with the issue of blood, before she risked. I am Jonah.

I am sorrowful.

I am afraid.

I am in desperate need of You.

How long, O God? How long?

Can anyone identify with where I am?

Watch video below to enjoy Jefferson Graham’s inteview of Scott Marlette of Facebook, on the rise of the social network’s photo sharing popularity. (I apologize that the video begins automatically upon opening this post – a personal pet peeve – and the brief Priceline ad. This is an embed code from USA Today and I don’t know how to delete those parts.)

(update: Here is the link to the video. I just realized that any time someone clicked on my “blog” tab, the video started playing – not just on this specific post. So, watch the USA Today video here, and again, pardon the ads.)

Quick Facts

• Uploading Facebook photos is easy, quick and nice
• Facebook users upload some 2 billion photos a month
• Tagging is the reason Facebook photos are so popular
• Users can untag photos of themselves

And in case you missed the print article, here’s a photo (not yet shared with my friends on Facebook).

What’s your favorite part about sharing photos on Facebook? What photos have you enjoyed seeing? Which photos do you wish you’d never seen?

Someone at Chick-Fil-A gets it. Not just social media, but customer service in general. I just learned on my Facebook feed that Chick-Fil-A now has one million fans. I wonder who the other 999,999,999 are.

First, let me congratulate the fine folks at Chick-Fil-A. They didn’t invent chicken. They just made it better. And they make sweet tea that’s frankly, better than my own moma (may she rest in peace). Hold the ice. I want all the syrupy goodness I can get.

I’ve eaten at CFA more in the last few months than I have in the previous year. Why? Because they’re making it easy, quick and nice for me to engage. And fun.

Easy: their summer promotion to wear a cow costume for a free sandwich included a printout so you could participate, even if you didn’t own a cow costume. I mean, who does, right?

Quick: They’re taking advantage of Facebook to quickly engage their fans AND share that information quickly (and easily).

Nice: Once they get you in the restaurant, everything is “my pleasure” this and “my pleasure” that. And I really think they mean it.

Oh, and don’t forget Fun. Have you seen the Chicken Wave? Our entire family of six wore team logos into the CROWDED Ward’s Road restaurant on Labor Day to get our free sandwiches. It was packed but not in the “pain in the neck, this is taking forever to be waited on” packed. It was the “man, this is so cool and exciting, look at that guy’s hair,” fun, sort of packed.

Chick-Fil-A gets it. They have a million fans to prove it. AND they’re closed on Sunday (but that’s another story).

Besides Chick-Fil-A and another favorite, Zappos, who else “gets” customer service and the idea of “easy, quick and nice” and “fun?” And how are they engaging their customers?

Engage with Chick-Fil-A on Facebook and Twitter.

Ambient Awareness is a term social scientists use to describe the inordinate amount of information we know about others because we are now so digitally connected thanks to social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Our digital connections are now as common and familiar as our own environments (like the ambient noise of your laptop humming or the constant sound of your AC hard at work) and as encompassing as the air that surrounds us. You can read more about the subject in this Wired post by Clive Thompson or this post Breaking up is hard to do – on Facebook.

All that said, amazing business opportunities can result from ambient awareness. This greater connectedness can be used to enhance community, collaboration, entrepreneurship, creativity and more. Here’s what I mean.

Yesterday I had lunch with Josh and Jonathan and we brainstormed ways social media can be used to enhance effectiveness for the Region 2000 Technology Council. As it turns out, Jonathan connected with Josh to a greater degree only once he realized (through reading Josh’s twitter feed) that they had a shared interest that likely would not have been uncovered in a typical business relationship. This new-found connectedness prompted the lunch invitation where the three of us shared resources, gained greater insights and discussed potential opportunities.

I can’t think about “ambient awareness” without being reminded of a conversation I had last summer with Michael Hyatt. He shared how his marriage had been positively impacted by his and his wife Gail’s mutual use of Twitter. He commented that like many couples, their routine was to talk on the phone once or twice during the day but they never really had time to connect. One or both would be busy or distracted. Twitter, they found, allowed them to stay connected throughout the day. He then made a powerful observation,

“It’s like our relationship has moved from dial up to broadband.”

I’m still pondering what all this means for me. For you, for marriages, for businesses and churches and chambers. But I know we’re on to something big, with tremendous opportunities ahead.

How might you see Ambient Awareness impacting your business? Your church or chamber? Your relationships? What positives can you see resulting from deeper connections with the people in your life?

What would you do? I recently received an invitation to become a Facebook fan of a friend’s new business, which just happens to be in direct competition with the business of a brand spanking new client.

I want my friend to succeed in his business. I’m excited for him because he’s following his passion. I can lend some muscle to his marketing efforts simply by becoming a fan. My acceptance would show up in the news feed of a lot of people. I can also suggest his fan page to other friends.

My new client, however, is in direct competition with my friend. This guy has been in business for a few years and is ready to take it to the next level. He’s asked me to help him with a marketing plan that includes some social media components. I’m looking forward to working with him and helping him grow his business.

If I accept my friend’s invitation, my new client will likely see and it could potentially negatively impact the trust relationship we have. If I don’t accept, my friend may wonder why I’m not supportive of his effort.

Social media provides us with great opportunities but it also presents us with a few challenges we’ve not ever had to navigate before.

What would you do? How would you approach this with your friend? With your new client?

People want to do good. TOMS Shoes gets it. Watch the video below and see if you agree.

TOMS gives a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One.

Here are my observations from the video:

1. It’s more about putting other people ahead of you.
2. Showing hugs and smiling children (or how your customers’ help is changing anyone’s life) is a good thing.
3. People want to be a part of something that is good.
4. Video captures emotion. “This is the greatest thing ever.” (even in the rain)
5. In the last 6 months, we just gave away 8,000 pair of shoes. Numbers are good (especially when accompanied with emotion).
6. Starting a company? Incorporate giving in what you do.
7. Since May 2006, TOMS has given away more (not “over”) than 130,000 (big numbers are even better) pair of shoes (it gets better) to children in need (here’s the clincher) through the purchase of caring customers. (Someone in TOMS marketing gets it.)

What do you think?
Would you be their fan on Facebook or follow TOMS Shoes on Twitter? How could your business, your chamber, your ministry incorporate doing good and showing changed lives? What feelings and thoughts did this video stir in you? Please share them in the comments section, and if you like this post, please share it with your friends using the icon below.

I went to The Muse Coffee Co. in Wyndhurst yesterday to meet with @lisahbryant. As soon as I walked in the door, Brian greeted me by name. This might not seem remarkable to you. Lots of people greet customers by name in coffee shops every day. Except I’ve only been in The Muse a couple of times. I’m not a “regular” because it’s not as convenient as a few other places in town.

Brian, the owner, knew my name because we follow each other on Twitter. He recently engaged me in a conversation about how I like my coffee (strong and smooth). One day last week he brewed up a pot of “dark lovely” and tweeted to let me know. But I was out of town.

When I knew I was going to be at The Muse on Tuesday, I tweeted him ahead of time and asked him to brew me up something yummy. When I walked in the door, Brian greeted me warmly, by name and told me he had some “dark lovely” he was putting into the french press for me. He even asked me what kind of cup I wanted. (For the record, my favorite is a Gevalia porcelain cup with a thin rim. Not to be confused with the Gevalia replacement cups that came out later with the thicker rim, but I digress.) Moments later, Brian delivered a some “dark lovely” in his thinnest rimmed cup and a saucer.

I love customized customer service. And I love to be pampered.

Lisa and I talked about women’s ministry, purpose, writing and obedience. We talked about recent experiences – her attendance at She Speaks and my trip to Nashville.

At one point near the end of our conversation, Brian came over and asked if he could show us some Latte Art. Of course I had no idea what Latte Art was, but enthusiastically said, “Sure!”

THIS is Latte Art, produced before our very eyes.

(Next time I’ll have to remember to get a pic of Brian too and the parking meter in the restroom.)

Here’s the thing. Brian gave me a perfect experience at The Muse Coffee Co. From the greeting when I walked in the door, to the perfect cup of coffee in a custom cup – to the Latte Art. So if you want to learn more about great customer experiences, follow Brian on Twitter. Tell him how you like your coffee, or tea, or biscotti. And if you’re in Lynchburg or Forest, go see him at The Muse in Wyndhurst. Ask for your favorite kind of cup and be sure to tell him I said hello.

When is the last time you’ve experienced perfect customer service? Please tell me your story in the comments section below.
And of course, if you’ve enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Stumble, etc. by using the Share button below.

I told you that story to tell you this one.

Clearly, we’ve become a nation of people and companies that fail to take responsibility for our actions. My gut tells me that had United done this early (per Dale Carnegie’s advice), they might have a raving fan instead.

Mistakes happen. Dealing with customers’ complaints quickly, honestly, empathetically, and making the situation right, gives businesses an opportunity to have a customer for life.

How do you handled failed customer experiences? Have you been on the receiving end of a customer story nightmare, either dealt with favorably or unfavorably?

Please leave your story in the comments section.