Challenging Leaders To Think Like Service Providers

If the answer is yes, great. If the answer is no, it is time to rethink this, as we’re challenged daily with navigating the pandemic for our organizations. Here’s why it’s key to be approaching your relationships emulating a service provider. 

1. There is always more to learn. By becoming a student of the people side of your business, you’re bound to learn something new. 

2. Increased happiness. Studies show psychologically that we are exponentially happier when we simply do things for others versus only for ourselves. This is something that benefits both sides of that relationship. (There is much known psychology behind happiness - for more information, check out The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Anchor and Yale University's The Science of Well-Being course on Coursera.)

3. Stronger, more trusted relationships lead to higher engagement and often productivity. If you’re still a non-believer here, the challenge is to simply give it a try. What do you have to lose?

Modeling a service provider involves conscious, intentional effort put forth in relationship building. Leaders who are hoping to empower those around them to deliver at high levels, and have fun doing it, will need to adapt. For some leaders, this may require some self-reflection and change in current habits when leading teams. For other leaders, this may simply mean letting your guard down a bit and opening up to the human side of business. It’s critical to note that service providers dedicate much time and energy into honing these skills below to earn trust, increase productivity, and deliver excellence. Above all, leaders working to mimic service providers will be required to work incredibly hard to build strong, genuine relationships rooted in trust. 

A great service provider embodies these skills and characteristics: 

1. Ask the right questions. And, ask the tough questions. They don’t hold back when it comes to gaining clarity on priorities and goals in service of their partners.

2. Genuinity & Empathy. They recognize that you cannot be empathetic if you don’t know what to be empathetic to. Understanding your audience is key, hence the focus on asking questions. 

3. Listen. Listen more than you talk. This is a great tactic to learn more about your partners. 

4. Ability to use positive language. Focus is on the customer or partner and speaking to their challenges with optimism.

5. Patience & Flexibility. They’re intentional about being able to adapt and customize to their partner’s individual needs.

6. Respect. Though it’s difficult to understand exactly what others are experiencing, it is crucial that we respect the way they handle situations. Their world may look drastically different than our own. We don’t have to agree with their approach, and can certainly suggest other methods to them, but doing so with respect will establish trust.  

7. Share. Let your walls down. Talk about yourself, share your story with others - after all, this is the only true way to build a relationship.  

8. Solution-Oriented. Recognizing challenges, issues, and roadblocks is key to assist us in determining where we go next, but service providers quickly follow that with identifying and sharing solutions for the clear path forward. 

9. Customer Focused. As a leader, you have many “customers” - internal and external - in those who report to you, your peers, etc. No matter who you define as “customer”, the focus is on them, their needs, their challenges, their wins. As leaders and service providers, we are steadfast in doing what’s best for our customers. 

As leaders, leveraging these skills and characteristics in relationships with partners can serve wonders. By doing so, it can lead to higher levels of engagement and satisfaction in the workplace, increased happiness for all, higher productivity, more positively rated net promoter scores - the list goes on. These characteristics have always been important for leaders to have, but they’re under a microscope today. Service leadership is hard to measure, as it’s unlike any other KPIs. It’s clear that leaders embracing a service provider mindset have many characteristics that are intangible. It’s an abstract and elusive thing to measure. A universal definition of “excellent customer service” is one that states: [it] involves meeting and surpassing expectations. It means showing the customer how important he or she is to you and the business by interacting with he or she in a friendly - helpful and positive way. The true testament of a good servant leader is in the way their customers and partners speak of their relationships.

By thinking and acting like a service provider in relationships, one can go from being considered a “manager” to being considered a truly great leader.  Leaders - believe that you can impact the business in a positive way in this challenging, unique time of pandemic, by supporting the people around you with these 9 characteristics. Ready, set, go! 

Lexy Johnson | Director, Practice Development & Marketing 

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Cultura Solutions is a strategic search firm in Minneapolis that partners with executive leaders to help bridge high-impact leadership talent gaps. Cultura employs an extremely disciplined and transparent search process with a targeted sourcing model and outreach focused on genuine human-to-human interaction, allowing us to turn non-active prospects into interested candidates. Visit www.cultura-solutions.com for more information.