Little Big Things by Shanon Olsen

In Tom Peters’ latest book "Little Big Things" he states the following:

(1) Organizations exist to serve. Period.
(2) Leaders exist to serve their people. Period.
(3) A team well-served by its leader will be inclined to pursue Excellence.

In the teams we work with we encourage our leaders to strive for excellence, to engage in ongoing development, and to choose that which would best serve their team and organization. By moving to a paradigm of "service" we step into a place of contribution, appreciation and the experience of being on purpose. We have found that this is often what people long for, knowing that what they spend their energy on matters. By shifting our language, we can shift our experience of life. Tom Peters redefines the use of three words: Serve, Service and Servant.

"Serve." This is what you do everyday for your team, your organization, and your community. Energy could be expanded or restored by simply asking yourself "How will I serve today? In our course called "The Power of Collaboration," we teach that effective collaborative teams have a compelling purpose for working together. A compelling purpose is the larger reason to do what you do. When a team is aligned on their "Compelling Purpose," energy, enthusiasm, and productivity rise.

"Service." Service is what you provide. It could be called a product, a widget, a task, a process. Most of us provide service to someone or something. Tom Peters describes service as beauty encapsulated. Imagine seeing what you provide as service, and therefore beauty. This could be a fun place to serve from!

"Servant." We are servants to all sorts of things in life. Often we unconsciously become servants to things that drain us. We are not talking about this type of servitude. We are speaking of choosing to become a servant. By coming from a place of choice, being a servant allows for deep commitment, full buy in, and the willingness to do what is needed for success and excellence. Being a servant to what matters most, is a great use of your energy and time.

As you look to 2011, we challenge you to take three actions:

1. Work with your team to create a compelling purpose.

2. Look to see what agreements can be made that will support your team in coming from a place of service.

3. Consciously choose where you will be a servant leader. Identify the best use of you.