By: Martha Keeler Olsen

Using tennis as a metaphor, if your serve hits the mark with velocity, you have the advantage. In other words: Advantage = Service + Velocity.

 Gain the Advantage

About four years ago, I observed employees of a prominent Fargo, North Dakota based manufacturing company engaged in an impressive act of service. One of their own was dealing with a recurrence of liver cancer. A significant number of “friends from work” arrived early one Saturday morning with materials, tools, and manand woman-power enough to completely paint his home and garage. Within three months, this valued employee died, but on that day, it was a joyous gathering – the last interaction many of his co-workers had with him. It played to the natural empathy of those who showed up; it embraced their care-giving qualities; it was a consoling experience; it held deep meaning for the friends, the man, and his family.

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I have recently become a disciple of Daniel Pink, an innovative business strategist, writer, and lecturer. In the introduction to his latest book, “A Whole New Mind,” Pink writes:

The last few decades have belonged to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of mind – computer programmers who could crank code, lawyers who could craft contracts, MBAs who could crunch numbers. But the keys to the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to a very different kind of mind – creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. These people – artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers – will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys.

According to Pink, the future belongs to those who embrace “R-directed” aptitudes rather than relying on the “logical, linear, computerlike capabilities,” which he describes as “L-directed.” What all of this means is the advantage in a world economy, going forward, will be to those who hit the mark with the right-brained thinking of empathy, finding meaning, consoling, seeing the big picture.

Dr. Martin Seligman, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and author of what has been called “positive psychology,” has demonstrated that a key factor in people being optimistic (and thereby more productive) is knowing that what they do makes a difference.

If Daniel Pink and Dr. Seligman are correct, and I believe they are, businesses must encourage and even develop these right-brained aptitudes in their employees. Cultivating these tendencies by creating a culture of service within your organization will, in fact, create a work force that has the advantage.

Serve Up an Ace

A woman offered assistance to another and was greeted with, “thank you, but you don’t have to do that.” “I know I don’t have to,” said the woman, “that’s what makes it so fun.” In a world where right-brained empathy and compassion have an opportunity to flourish, pull becomes stronger than push. Being attracted or drawn to something or someone is so much more fun than being pushed toward it. Resistance dampens creativity. There is nothing more attractive than an authentic demonstration that people are valuable. If you want to attract business partners and clients, if you want creative people working for you and with you, attract them; pull them to you with a culture of service in your organization. It’s like serving up an ace.

Do it With Velocity

Take note of these two elements found in businesses and organizations with a service culture: giving money is an important part of providing service, but it’s more than money that makes a difference; and, leaders who serve not only create the strongest service culture, but they are also the most effective leaders.

You have heard the reference to donations of “time, talent, and treasure.” Of the three, giving personal time is a twofer. If you roll up your sleeves and jump into the trenches, you get to share in the rewards and the joy of the gift as much as the recipient. That’s the advantage of projects like Habitat for Humanity. The givers work right alongside the receivers, and they experience the joy together. And there is energy generated with that connection.

Much can be done when the grassroots mobilize, but so much more gets done when leaders actually take the lead. If employees want supportive, empathetic, creative environments, it can happen. But if owners, executives, and managers set the tone, create the space, and live the principle, it will happen. That’s what creates the velocity.

A bank whose giving culture is well established in its community served up an inspired variation of its corporate giving. The bank owner and executives created a “pay it forward” program that engaged their work force. Employees were given funds and then told to donate the money in ways that mattered to them. They could combine their contribution with that of other employees, they could go it alone, or they could match it to other efforts in the community. The employees were invited to be creative and generous as exemplified by their employers. The buzz this project created in the community was impressive enough, but the energy it generated within the company was tremendous.

Consider the advantage created by the velocity of this act of service. Even if you remove the public good will from the equation, from the top executive to the newest hire, the message is clear: everyone’s judgment, ideas, and actions makes a difference, not only within the company, but also in the world.

There is little doubt that established businesses and entrepreneurs have reason to be concerned about how things will shake out in the next few months, the next year, or beyond. Trying to gain some advantage in the current economic climate will likely be a challenge, to be sure. But I submit this uncertainty offers the perfect opportunity to implement this simple but high impact formula: Advantage = Service + Velocity. When will it ever be more important to engage and energize your work force than now? When will you ever need to be more creative and enlivened, optimistic and productive? Gain your advantage with service. And do it with velocity. Game, set, match. You win. And so do a lot of other people.