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 for several months, and found that they were easy to translate into the volunteer culture of churches. As a Guest Services Coordinator at Elevation Church’s Uptown Campus, it was easy for me to make some applications.

Taking the same 3-tier approach at Nordstrom’s, here’s a quick outline summary of the first tier:

What eCoordinators Can Do to Create a Culture of Servants

The Elevation Story

1. An appreciation of what Elevation is all about cannot be fully grasped without an understanding of our culture
2. Know the history (past); live out the history (present); know where you’re going (future)
3. Vision

Spreading the Servant’s Culture: Publicly Celebrate Your Heroes; Promote from Within the Team

1. Storytelling and folklore of individual and team success
2. Stories of heroics are regularly shared – a standard to aspire to and even surpass
3. eCoordinators with a deep understanding of the Elevation culture and who really value it

Line Up and Cheer for Your Team: Create an Inviting Place to Serve

1. If leaders and team members are excited about the experience of serving at Elevation, they will exceed your expectations
2. Create something extra every week

How Can I Help You? Provide Lots of Choices

1. Make sure you have all the choices you need in order to give potential leaders and team members options to serve
2. Emulating the Nordstrom way
   1. Cross-Training all area teams
   2. Identify leader and team needs before they are expressed

While all team members need to have an appreciation and awareness of the organization’s history and culture, the eCoordinators are critical. They create, maintain, and support the servant culture.

Next: eLeaders