Building a Culture of Service

"The gateway to power is philanthropy." so claimed Mad Men character Bertram Cooper, in the early 1960's. For generations, this sentiment highlighted the connection between powerful people and community service. Upon reaching a certain level of success in business, these powerful individuals started to look out from the heights of their ladder, recognizing that success in business may bring an abundance of wealth, both in material and human resources that could be shared with and donated to others.

Today, thanks to social media and the power of the Internet, not only the rich and powerful lead modern philanthropic endeavors. This "new" philanthropy has many benefits, allowing a broad spectrum of participants from every social, economic and political stripe, to grow personally and professionally and, as Bertram further stated "decide what will happen in our world."

There are many professional reasons today's company should give attention to building and fostering a culture of service. For example, many experts believe that serving others can strengthen character. A thoughtful act of charity can make us feel good and when done occasionally doesn't take much from our wallets or schedules. An effort to devote resources into acts of service on a routine basis builds character traits and skills not easily learned elsewhere.

Volunteer service benefits most all involved and can provide additional developmental opportunities such as leadership skills. Leadership is essential when working to accomplish the goals of an organization as well as a service organization. While objectives may be relatively clear, roles and responsibilities may not, so the focus is on achieving results, rather than who does what. The best leaders are those who listen well, are supportive, and set examples of service for others – quietly taking the lead on what must be done so that others will follow in their footsteps. These and many more valuable traits leave lasting impressions on others, fostering a spirit of goodwill in fellow participants.

There are many examples where today's leaders demonstrate a belief in the inherit value of a culture of service. Helios HR's latest book, Building a Culture of Intention, highlights the philanthropic efforts of many local and national organizations. This year's Opa! Award winner, Pariveda Solutions, has built community service into their award-winning "Expectations Framework." This organization is cultivating a crop of savvy young leaders because the leaders at the top recognize the value of both their human capital and its impact on community services.

These innovative "best practices" serve as an effective way to train and develop employees: growing employee talent and skills, building staff morale, and limiting financial expenditures for the company – all while giving back to the community, particularly during tough economic times. The company's leaders view the time spent by their employees in community service not as an expense, but an investment with a very high ROI benefitting multiple stakeholders.

Service builds professional success by expanding executive networks, providing hands-on experience to build teams of strong leaders, and making us mindful of new opportunities to be supportive of others. Volunteer service can build personal success as it can help keep one grounded, provide additional perspective and define success in new ways. Those organizations that hold these values close, serve in their communities and rally co-workers to join in these endeavors, are building highly compassionate, motivated and successful work environments. Maybe Bertram was on to something … 40+ years ago!