Experience Leadership – Understanding the Power of “Aloha”
I am currently in what I consider to be the leadership training capital of the world, Kauai, Hawaii. Now why would I make such a bizarre claim when we all know that leadership is being studied in corporate offices, major universities and on Wall Street every day? My reasons are simple. In Hawaii there is one word that sums up what leadership should be. That word is ”Aloha.”
This is a place where people and businesses choose to bring their presence (alo) and a breath of life (ha) to every encounter and to the products and services they provide. They chose to “share” part of themselves in serving a meal, fixing an elevator, building a road, creating a software program and more. In return, they create an incredible experience for their customers and buyers.
This simple word provides leaders with a road-map to getting our work on track today and every day. Have we brought the full presence of who and what we are to the work? Have we put our full breath into our efforts or are we holding back? Are we making the product we build or the service we give the real essence of who we are and what we stand for?
When the people we work with feel these two things from their leaders or managers, our full breath and our true essence they respond in kind. New ideas flood into the workplace, a sense of creativity and ease surround tackling the challenges of the day, and the pride in the outcomes is the fuel for the next day’s efforts.
When our clients and customers feel this Aloha spirit, they too want to work with you again. Returning for the real presence that your service or product brings to them. They also want the life your create for them in your product or service because you have brought your true essence to them and shared it freely.
I am currently at the Marriott Kauai Beach Club and you could easily say I am just influenced by the sun, the surf, the palm trees, soft breezes and chirping birds. (Are you imagining all of this yet?) All of those things are wonderful by themselves. However, my experience in my stay here is magnified ten fold because of the Aloha that greets me in every encounter. The housekeeper, concierge, waiter, grounds-person, security, and so on will always pass along an “aloha” and follow that up with just what it means. I am blown away, when I ask a simple question and get not only a good answer, but so much more. They bring their presence to our encounters and share freely. You can actually feel the breath of life in their work with each other by the smiles, not just for the tourists, but their colleagues, who I suspect are friends as well.
Experience leaders know how to bring “aloha” to their workplace every day. May you be one of them.
Aloha!
Tags: Human Resources, Leadership Development, Management Training, Organizational Development, Training and Development