Definition of “Hazzah”: Expression of extreme excitement

There are times when the environment you are in brings out the best in you and you are as productive and satisfied as you could possibly imagine. When your proposals are accepted by the perfect client. When your gifts and talents are not just leveraged but also delighted in. When you feel really known and accepted. Hazzah!

Today’s process visual is the exact opposite of last week’s. Today is about when it works. What happens when you are in environments that are supportive and conducive to true authenticity.

When you get to be yourself you are present – to yourself and others. as a result of being present and in the moment, you are able to experience true and meaningful connections with others. You are able to serve better, create better. When you connect with others, you get to experience life and really live. You not just give but receive in return. This energy fuels the ability to become even more true to yourself which adds to this energetic cycle. Hazzah!

I wonder what it would look like for us to create environments in our homes, workplace and places of worship where there is good soil for our true selves to be planted and flourish. What do you think are the key ingredients of that good soil? What do you think needs to change in our environments for authenticity to be able to planted, nourished and harvested?

© Betsy Jordyn 2010. All rights reserved.

Today’s model introduces how I am starting to think about what is authentic leadership. I think authentic leadership is where power and love intersect. Power and use of power are familiar concepts in business and the definining power as control, authority, capacity and influence is more than likely readily understandable and accessible. Love is a different story.

When I talk about love, I am not talking about the feelings shared between parents and children, friends or even lovers. I am talking the concept of love as expressed in Greek as agape which relates more to service and esteem.

Here’s the model:

Sources of power can be internal or external. Focuses of love can be internal or external. How these relate to one another result in one of four leadership styles:

o External source of power and internal focus of love: Alliance Leadership. This style of leadership is about who you know and where you work. Power comes by association with powerful people. Your boss becomes very important to you as you seek to gain what you want by pleasing the right people.
o External source of power and external focus of love: Authoritarian Leadership. This style of leadership is command and control. These leaders are very connected to their titles, office size and location, money and other symbols of power. They accomplish through others.
o Internal source of power and internal focus of love: Reflective Leadership. These leaders start to realize that Authoritarian leadership only works until it stops working. They become reflective and search for integrity and wholeness. They are in an intentional process of finding congruence between internal actions and internal reflections. Their organizational strength is based on their competence and burgeoning self-awareness.
o Internal source of power and external focus of love: Authentic Leadership. These leaders possess the paradoxical blend of humility and channel whatever ego and drive they have into the good of other and radically serving others. They have a purpose beyond themselves. They are settled in their own skin and can radically support the empowerment of others.

I’ll talk next week on how you move from one leadership style to another. In the meantime, what do you think?

© Betsy Jordyn 2010. All rights reserved.

I missed on Process Visual Friday. How about Process Visual Saturday?

Todd asked a great question with regards to my process visual last week which was, “How do you create brand evangelists?” I pondered his question all week and I have a potential answer.  The way to create brand evangelists is by knowing your customer’s love language, speaking it often, speaking it well and speaking it better than anyone else.  See the visual below:

I suggest that there are four primary Customer Love Languages based on what your customers are looking for from you in terms of product (either cutting edge or low cost) or service (in terms of efficiency or customization.) I think travelers are start to sing the praises of Southwest Airlines because it speaks the language of consistency of friendly service (e.g. shuffle fun fun on board), efficiency of service (e.g. they call you back vs. you having to wait and you can switch your ticket without fees) and availabiity and reliability of flights. They are in the lower left quadrant and they do it better than anyone else. Chick-Fil-A might be in that same quandrant. Apple might be in the upper left quandrant. They speak the language of cutting edge features that way outpaces anyone else. The upper right quandrant might be Bentley with the ability for the customer to decide what it wants and the unique features the car offers.

I’m not sure who is in the lower right quandrant yet.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Todd, Lee…you know I want to hear from you!

© Betsy Jordyn 2010. All rights reserved.

I am introducing a new category of my blog. I am calling it Process Visual Friday so that I can post these things that I am contantly creating and start some dialogue/get some feedback on the concepts I am creating.

Here’s today’s. I call this visual – Beyond Satifaction – Creating Customer Commitment and Engagement

The explanation of this visual is:

• Satisfaction is the go/no go place – You have to at least have customers who are consistently satisfied to have any hope for commitment from your customers
• A customer that is satisfied consistently over time will use your products and services again and again and become your BRAND LOVERS. They love your brand. For example, I love Coke products. I get Diet Coke or Coke Zero all the time. I order it restaurants. I buy it and have it at home.
•The next phase is when they will only use your brand. They become BRAND LOYALISTS. For example, Hawaii has a lot of pepsi products. When vacationing in Hawaii I bought a cup that allowed me unlimited refills on soda. Sadly, I discovered the only soda that was available was Pepsi. I searched my hotel and found one bar that sold coke products and spent extra money to buy a coke there. I am loyal to Coke. No Pepsi.
• The ultimate is when your customers become your BRAND EVANGELISTS. Not only will only use you but love you so much that they preach your praises to others. Clearly, the financial gain of brand evangelists is exponentially larger in that you retain your existing customers (who will buy more from you) and they recommend you to others (who will spend money and you get to avoid costs associated with customer acquisition)
• It is essential for a company to have a larger vision because satisfaction is just a short-term starting point. If you don’t have it, you don’t stay in business for long.
• It is not as important to where you are on the continuum as much as having a committed vision to creating brand evangelists, not just satisfied customers.

What do you think? Clear? Agree? Disagree?

© Betsy Jordyn 2010. All rights reserved.