Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen’s 80’s hit song, “Can’t Start a Fire Without a Spark” beautifully revealed what still reigns 100% true today – whatever you desire in life must begin with a spark. There has to be something, anything that propels you forward into action. As I touched on last week in my post covering ‘Balance in Transformational Leadership’, the first critical Spark to start that fire in yourself and others is Service.
Although Service Leadership and/or Servant Leadership is not a new concept, in the SPARK ecosystem we view this first element of Service a little differently. Rather than seeing Service as merely part of a strategic, tactical, process or incentivized initiative, SPARK leaders are challenged to infuse Service deep into the collective psyche to make it the very first instinct in any startup, success and/or sustainability model. This means everything from intention to action of everyone from an individual to a department; a partner to a franchisee must value the ‘We Pre Me’ mantra, which rates multi-generational impact as the most treasured Key Performance Indicator (KPI).
In a SPARK environment, being at the Service of others (internally and externally) is a top expectation and is amplified more, not diminished, as the stakes get higher. The loftier the rise, the greater the priority and quality of Service must be. With a Service culture at the foundation – empowered interaction, result-oriented problem-solving, and influential innovation become the defining leadership hallmarks.
In this article, we will reveal 3 secrets we use to Spark the spirit of Service in leadership teams we work with to help them transform their teams and organizations into high-performing givers.
Secret #1 – Aim for A+ Authenticity
First and foremost, it is very important to understand that authenticity is hard to fake. Truth will always reveal itself – sooner or later – so why risk losing all you worked toward for mere short-term gain. That’s why challenge teams you work with always aim for A+ authenticity. How? Build your leadership promise on a solid base of trust, transparency and integrity. Then, support it with a culture of consistency, inclusivity and responsibility. These principles are sure to resonate with your stakeholder group who will naturally rally around your stewardship because they will not only feel safe but motivated to align with your authentic drive for 360-degree gain.
A leader who sits at the height of the Authentic Leadership pyramid is Martin Luther King Jr. As the preeminent voice for civil rights, MLK could not risk the well-being of millions by being anything more than truly authentic. Authentic with his words, actions and beliefs. From his “I have a dream” speech to these last words before being assassinated, “I’ve been to the mountaintop” – he never wavered for a moment from his vision, mission, and values. He walked every word while present. So far and wide did he walk his talk that even in his absence those words keep walking!
The world today is starving for such leadership. Leaders who can inspire, cultivate and resonate with credibility, purity and reliability. So whether you are a leader in the commercial or non-profit world, make A+ authenticity your top aim.
Top Authenticity Tip: Before trying to rally the troops, ask yourself, “Would I believe me?”, “Would I rally behind me?”, “Would I persevere with me?”. If the answer to any of these is in doubt, revisit your connection to the purpose and whether it truly speaks to your and/or the organization’s genuine character. Often you will find there is something there that is holding you back from being true to your authentic form and function.
Secret #2 – Espouse Empathy & Empowerment
Born leaders are a rare breed. Most of us are on a betterment journey, from within and on the outside. In this journey, there will be many moments where your patience will be tested. Where your nature will be challenged by your nurtured experiences. Your ability to see past the tension and imbalance is critical in these moments. Fundamentally, the two main abilities you need to find balance in these situations are empathy and empowerment. Empathy is the ability to appreciate and share the other person’s emotions. And empowerment is to provide others with the freedom and resources to execute and achieve. Together, they are a powerful tandem for creating a culture of proactive problem-solving, ownership, engagement and continuous improvement.
Today, innovation leads the way. At no time in history have we seen such rampant and rapid invention. To unlock innovation in yourself, your peers, and society at large requires kindness, which is at the heart of empathy and empowerment. Daniel Lubetzky, Founder and CEO of the healthy snack company, KIND espouses this tenant by starting with the inside. This means first being kind to your body by fueling it with natural whole foods, which in turn empowers you to spread this kindness into the community with empathy. From pledging $25 million to fund the Feed the Truth advocacy group to championing ventures to bring together neighbours in conflict regions, he is a committed and holistic connector through the people’s perspective.
Great leadership is far from being a tunnel-visioned pursuit for materialistic gain. Empathetic leaders engage with empowerment as the heartbeat of any venture. You too can commit to espousing these values in your journey to significance.
Top Empathy and Empowerment Tip: Humility, compassion and awareness. Three sure-fire sentiments that power empathy and empowerment. Respect and engage these human emotions to widen your scope and reach. And remember that no journey can be travelled and no destination reached unaccompanied. You need others and others need you. In business, in life, and beyond you never walk alone!
Secret #3 – Grow through Good, not Greed
As leaders, you have likely been exposed to the growth mindset. It is founded on the belief that intelligence and potential are not fixed—they can be cultivated through learning, effort and perseverance, which lead to innovation, resilience and adventurousness. Although a growth mindset is critical to opening the pathways for continued exploration, experimentation and expression, it must be grounded in good, not greed.
What do I mean by this? Let’s take nature as an example. In nature, there will be some life forms that have more capability for growth than others. However, this does not mean that all other life around us should not exist. This would not only be detrimental for the “inferior” life force, but ultimately the “superior” one also. All species contribute to all life, it’s that simple. If one (i.e. humans) goes around growing through greed, there will be no environment in which to grow. Case and point, what we are experiencing today. With all the change occurring today, there are some who still use it to advance selfish causes. But, the tide is surely shifting. And at the heart of that shift is good. Mainly, for prioritising customer, community and environmental interests over their own. A good sign in the hope of a good outcome.
Here are three companies you know well who make good growth a priority:
- Ben & Jerry’s – This iconic ice cream company continues to grow while being fully dedicated to raising awareness and funds for important environmental, social justice and sustainability causes. The company donates 7.5% of its annual profits to this philanthropy by offering grants and supporting grassroots efforts but also empowers its employees to be hands-on deliverers of this change.
- Toms – As a renowned shoe company, Toms is considered one of the originators of the one-for-one model. The company began its operations by donating a pair of shoes to underprivileged children for every pair customers purchased. They eventually shifted away from this model to giving one-third of their profits to grassroots organizations on the frontlines of mental health causes, ending gun violence, and increasing access to opportunity. This freedom in donations model has resulted in positively impacting over 100 million lives!
- Google – This tech giant is in the midst of one of the largest corporate giveback drives in history. They have pledged to donate $1 billion to nonprofit organizations in just five years. But they didn’t stop there. They have also committed to providing 1 million hours of volunteering time through their workforce. These often unseen environmental and ethical initiatives show how committed even the most mammoth companies are to achieving good goals.
This is proof that you no longer need greed to drive your growth, but rather it is more beneficial to prioritise a greater good approach.
Top Good Growth Tip: Base your growth mindset on some connection to goodwill. It need not be elaborate or multi-faceted. Start small with whatever resources you can provide (human, financial or intellectual). But make sure to be deliberate and consistent with your intent and actions by building it into your personal and organizational objectives and achievement guidelines. This way you are not only thinking about it but in some way compelled to follow through.
Transformational leaders are dedicated to change, but not by any means. Transformational leaders champion empathy and empowerment because they understand that success is fleeting, and significance through impact is long-lasting, well after the leadership and/or company exists. Make the right choice and view your leadership through a multi-generational impact lens, not merely 5, 10 or 15-year goals.
If you found this post valuable, I cover this and more in my 5-step SPARK masterclass beginning October 12, 2024. We dive deeper into how Service is the launch pad to transcending from success to significance. For more information on the entire program landscape and to save your spot, visit corporatesufi.com/spark-masterclass.