Inherent in providing service leadership is the ability to obtain greatness from the service team. By providing unconditional caring and support, employees know that they matter; they are not just another “warm body.” Employees also know that a service leader has the reasonable expectation of giving conditional respect to each employee based on their contribution to the service strategies. This polarity embraces the need to hire the right team and keep them engaged in their positions. It’s personal for me, with each and every person. I want them to participate and succeed as a member of our team. It’s my job to create the environment for them to tap into achieving greatness individually and collectively. I have nurtured and supported others, always respecting them as individuals; allowing them to flourish and rise to new levels of achievement within the organization.

An example is Michael, a Wentworth Mansion employee who flourished
under this polarity. Michael came to us as a shy, awkward high school
junior that was looking for a summer job as a bellman. He was clean cut,
polite, spoke intelligently and appeared to have a strong work ethic. I
offered him a position, and he seemed eager to start.

Initially, it was a stretch for Michael to interact with guests; he spoke only
when spoken to, his eye contact was limited. However, I just wouldn’t let
him off easy. Through a combination of example, role-playing and
positive feedback, Michael began to show signs of service greatness;
his name began to appear in our guest comment cards, a sure sign he
was doing things correctly. Michael would beam when his name
appeared on the “brag board” in the employee break room. I continued
to provide caring, and offered cross-training opportunities as concierge
and night auditor. In addition, his grasp of the different position came
quickly, and we soon turned to him to help train new employees.

The biggest testament to his abilities was evident one weekend when
the assistant innkeeper and I were out of town at the same time. This
situation had never occurred before, and though unavoidable, it was a
concern both to me and the owners.

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The Five Diamonds of Customer Service Leadership