I have always been both fascinated and a little annoyed by the phrase, “perception is reality.” The ironic thing is how I interpret that statement, and its use is a case of perception.

As the year is coming to a close many of us are in the midst of budgets and planning strategies for our business in the fast-approaching new year. It is easy to get caught up in that process for your store, district, or whatever level you are responsible for.

December is usually a busy month for a multitude of reasons. People are celebrating the holidays or preparing for them. There is a lot going on both personally and professionally. It is not just the holiday season; it is budgeting and planning season as well.

Following the recent series of articles I published on the topic of Servant leadership I received several requests for additional resources on the subject. There are plenty of options available and the subject provides a seemingly endless supply of information...

I admit I am an early adopter and a bit of a tech geek. I enjoy trying new things in technology and am fortunate enough to be able to get in early on some of the new gadgets. I have owned an iPad since it was released.

As a District Manager or any level multi-unit leader it is so easy to feel as though all of the *other* projects that come up keep us from the things that we think are most important - developing our team and spending time with them in their locations.

Many cultures around the world celebrate a type of Thanksgiving. We tend to think of it as an American holiday that dates back to the times of the pilgrims. However, most cultures give thanks for the fall harvest and that it will carry us through the cold winter months.

The nature of a servant leader is to be a developer, a listener, and a coach. However, in addition to those qualities and characteristics, there are some additional attributes that I believe are worth exploring.

The benefits of servant leadership are numerous, but I want to key in on one, in particular, engagement. When you look at a lot of the work that has been published about creating engagement or an engaged workforce, most items come back to the leader.

Seeing servant leadership in action or having examples of what it looks like is one of the best ways to further understand what servant leadership is. Leadership is driven from individuals, but when you build a culture of servant leadership,

Many people assume when they hear the term servant leadership that it must be a weaker form of being a leader. Unfortunately, leadership I soften misunderstood or used synonymously with ‘in charge.’

The idea and term of servant leadership is becoming more prevalent in discussions around styles and types of leaders. But many people may still not know what servant leadership really is. Over the course of the next several articles I am going to explore this subject and share my thoughts and insights into my own learning on this skillset of a leader.