If you thought of yourself as a product, what would your brand be? What kind of slogan or mission would your “product” embrace and what do you think other people would say your brand is? Use whatever gift you have received to serve others (financial advisor, accountant, software engineer, etc.). Be grateful for customers, they are how you feed your family. Try gratitude as your brand. If you think of your work as a form of service, you’ll find that your attitude becomes more positive and your productivity will go up!

Let your brand be gratitude, so regardless of what is in your pocket, no one will know the difference from an up day or a down day.
Honest feedback is a gift. Seek it out and embrace it as a learning opportunity. Try not to be defensive.
Seek out mentorship. Make sure to position yourself around people who can help you grow, as well as, be open and willing to help others.
Forgiveness is such an asset in business. There will be people who will try to use you, trick you or get over with a better deal than they deserve. Have a short memory when it comes to those who have wronged you.
Be thankful for the good days and bad days, because bad days are just learning opportunities that help us appreciate good days.
Be known for great leadership and service to your customers, but also to your employees and vendors.  If you make it about serving them, they will do all they can to serve the best interest of your business. You understand your people when they know you understand them. It’s all about helping people succeed professionally/individually within the scope of their role, serving those you are responsible for, for those you are responsible to.

Servant leadership must support the vision over all. Leaders should show up each day with enthusiasm for their own job, and be ready and willing to inspire others. Hold true to your leadership style, the top serves employees who serve customers – to be first you must be last.

Make time to encourage others. Sometimes we all get busy, but don’t ever be too busy to share a moment to inspire, mentor or be a sounding board for another. It’s a heavy burden we carry as business professionals, and we all need to remember we are not alone.

• Take on the blame, even when it is not yours to own
• Better to be respected than liked
• Step in without being asked
• Answer the question that has not been asked
• Know when to level-set the over-whelming positive out pour, sometimes middle of the road emotions are all that’s needed
• Show you think of others
• Recognize your own poor behavior and take responsibility

“Good, strong business leaders can exert more influence than they realize on those with whom they work and, therefore, on the service component in our country. What does it mean for a leader to serve colleagues, peers and others? Let’s look at six ways one can do that.

LEAD: One leads, first of all, by the example of hard work. Respect others and honor their commitment by your own hard work. Don’t ask anyone to work harder than you do. One also leads through knowledge. Demonstrate that you really know your product/service.

TEACH: Instill the special knowledge that you possess into those with whom you work.

PROVIDE: Make resources and support available so everyone can be successful at their job. Nothing demoralizes someone more than being asked to do a job, very much wanting to accomplish it, only to find he/she hasn’t the resources to do so.
INSPIRE: Give those around you the respect and love they deserve as human beings. They may be your superiors, your peers or your subordinates, but they all will flourish on large doses of love and respect.

MENTOR: Counsel those around you. I don’t mean be their therapist, but as one who cares and who can assist them in being successful. Promote them when they deserve it. Sure, they may be transferred away or be hired away, but you will have demonstrated that, as a leader, you have put their best interest ahead of yours or the organizations.

SERVE: When taken together, all these elements provide the framework of service, the kind of leadership you can provide which will, by example, encourage others to join and expand the culture of service throughout our country. Now that you’ve created a culture of service around you need to again set the example by actively serving others.”

In summary, highly motivated employees or individuals produce 40% more. While your motivation needs to come from within, it must be real, sincere!

Leaders with the most impact are those who can build and successfully manage great teams. Every day, we help our clients and colleagues achieve their highest levels of professional presence and personal effectiveness. That includes everyone on the ladder, from company presidents to project managers, to staff members. Contact us at 800-282-3374 to find out how we can help you impact your own productivity and the productivity of your entire organization.

Reference: Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-mirenda/leaders-lead-by-serving-d_b_232726.html