By Sarah Nicastro, Founder and Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service
Last week, Berend Booms of Future of Assets published a podcast with guest Brianna Sylver, author of the book Leading Through Freefall, How Innovators Turn Turbulence into Trust. The episode centered around how leaders can find their superpower(s) and it was excellent food for thought.
Their discussion left me thinking about the superpowers I’ve witnessed among service leaders and what commonalities exist. Of course, each individual person, and leader, has superpowers all their own – leaning into your own unique authenticity I believe is an important superpower in and of itself.
But having spent time with hundreds of service leaders who I respect and admire, there are some other specific superpowers that seem to surface time and again. Or perhaps the better way to put it is that these seem to be practices and behaviors that nurture or even foster their leadership superpowers. In my observation, it’s the following actions that stand-out service leaders not only embrace but honor and protect.
#1: Non-Negotiable Investment in Facetime
These service leaders don’t take part in ride-alongs as a check-box exercise or during a once-a-year PR field trip. Rather, they understand that any leadership superpower they have is cultivated by the relationships built with in-person interactions and the understanding gleaned from spending ample time amongst the real-world experiences and challenges.
#2: Assiduous Problem Solving
Sure, all leaders (at least hypothetically) are problem solving. But service leaders problem solve tirelessly and in a multi-faceted context.
In one of my all-time favorite podcast quotes, retired service leader Tim Spencer said, “Staying put is the same as moving backwards. I tried to find something, always, that needed a fix. And I looked to others to help me figure it out. Then you iterate or innovate on that or find the next business problem to solve. A leader is always on the hunt for the next problem to solve, because every business has a problem somewhere. If you think you don’t, well, there it is.”
This is true in solving customer problems, in solving the challenges your teams face in servicing your customers, and in ensuring technology investments are made that align to the real-world problems that need addressed.
#3: Persistent Perspective
All that problem solving could weigh on someone, right? Not these leaders, they are built differently. There’s a relentless perspective they have; a deep understanding that at the root cause of each problem lies opportunity.
Rather than become burdened by the constant flow of problems to solve, they are energized by what lies beneath. Today’s customer challenges are tomorrow’s value proposition; today’s frontline woe is tomorrow’s chance to improve performance and retention.
#4: Expert Stakeholder Translation
Service leaders have a unique position of context – intimately understanding business objectives, customer needs, and frontline sentiment. Those who hone expertise in translating among or between those viewpoints see the greatest success.
A leader who can not only articulate customer needs but shed light on how the company could better meet those needs positions service as potential for growth. A leader who can communicate the company’s need for a certain change in terms of a “why” that the frontline grasps yields better acceptance and engagement.
#5: Deeply People-Centric
“Service is a people business,” is a statement that these service leaders not only say but truly believe. Yes, they are looking at how to incorporate AI and embrace the next levels of digital sophistication – but to amplify the talents of their people, not to replace them.
Service leaders know that customers build relationships to and loyalty with individuals, not systems, products, or a brand. They reflect this understanding in how they maintain relationships with their team, how they encourage relationships among teams, and how they empower teams to serve customers with not only efficiency but personality.
#6: Master Multi-Taskers
Finally, these leaders are master multitaskers. They hold the company objectives and customer view in parallel. They optimize today’s business while owning a vision for the future. They manage today’s workforce while reimagining what tomorrow’s needs. They execute using existing tech stacks while modernizing to better meet today (and tomorrow’s) demands. And so much more!
These reasons (and more) are why we’re proud to celebrate service leaders each year with our Stand Out 50 leadership awards. Nominations close this Friday, July 24th so if you think of a service superhero when you read this article, recognize them today here: https://www.futureoffieldservice.com/stand-out-50/
You can listen to the conversation with Berend and Brianna that inspired this article here.