Reaction and comments from yesterday’s post and the correlation to the Ritz Carlton brings to mind another iconic retail establishment known for its customer service: Nordstrom’s.

Last fall, I was privileged to speak at the Worship Facility Conference and Expo on the topic of “Servant Leadership.” I had been doing research on Nordstrom’s customer service principles, and found that they were easy to translate into the volunteer culture at my church, Elevation Church in Charlotte NC.

Taking the same 3-tier approach at Nordstrom’s, you can read a quick summary of the first tier here. Here’s a quick summary of the second tier:

Part Two: What eLeaders Can Do to Create a Culture of Servants

#1 Strategy: Recruit the Smile

1. It’s not the role for everyone
2. 4 reasons volunteers choose your eTeam
3. Recruit the smile, train the skill
4. Invest in your team

That’s My Job: Empower Teams to Act Like Entrepreneurs

1. Trust your team
2. Give them freedom to make decisions on the spot
3. Push decision-making responsibility and authority down to the lowest level possible
4. Encourage your team every step of the way
5. Use mistakes as tools for learning

Dump the Rules: Tear Down the Barriers to Exceptional Volunteer Service

1. Trust your team’s judgment
2. Simplify the process
3. Do what’s right
4. Promote one rule: The Golden Rule

This is How We Do It: Manage, Mentor, and Maintain Great Teams

1. Find ways to motivate your team
2. Treat the team with dignity and respect
3. Encourage new team members to find mentors
4. Promote a culture where team members mentor unselfishly
5. Provide coaching tools
6. Promote a culture of loyalty and ownership

Recognition, Competition, & Praise: Create a Sustainable, Emotional Bond with Your Team

1. Always find ways to praise team members for great acts of GS
2. Recognize and reward
3. Provide team members with information on how they are doing
4. Send notes, emails, phone calls to team members regularly

Staff and coordinators may create the atmosphere and culture, but it is up to the people on the front lines to put it into practice. Team Leaders at Elevation have experienced the front lines – that’s where they came from! Because of this, they know what to look for in a new volunteer, how to empower people, mentor them, train them, and praise them for a job well done.

Next: Team Members