{"id":452,"date":"2016-10-12T17:02:19","date_gmt":"2016-10-12T17:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogzynergy.com\/bz\/?p=452"},"modified":"2016-10-12T17:02:19","modified_gmt":"2016-10-12T17:02:19","slug":"the-waldorf-principle-networkers-like-you-can-use-to-grow-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogzynergy.com\/bz\/index.php\/2016\/10\/12\/the-waldorf-principle-networkers-like-you-can-use-to-grow-more\/","title":{"rendered":"The Waldorf Principle Networkers Like You Can Use to Grow More"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>

The way to the top with people is by serving them extravagantly and sacrificially.\u00a0 A simple clerk did this for Mr. Waldorf, and the rich tycoon returned to make that clerk his first hotel manager in New York.\u00a0 People expect good service from leaders.\u00a0 They are surprised when we serve them sacrificially.<\/p>\n

One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia.\u00a0 Trying to get out of the rain, the couple approached the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d like a room, please,\u201d they husband requested.\u00a0 The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town.\u00a0 \u201cAll of our rooms are taken,\u201d the clerk said.\u00a0 \u201cBut I can\u2019t send a nice couple like you out in the rain at one o\u2019clock in the morning.\u00a0 Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room?\u00a0 It\u2019s not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>When the couple declined, the clerk insisted.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry about me; I\u2019ll make out just fine,\u201d he told them.\u00a0 So the couple agreed to spend the night in his room.\u00a0 As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk, \u201cYou\u2019re an exceptional man.\u00a0 Finding people who are both friendly and helpful is rare these days.\u00a0 You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States.\u00a0 Maybe someday I\u2019ll build one for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two years passed.\u00a0 The clerk was still managing the hotel in Philly when he received a letter from the old man.\u00a0 It recalled that stormy night and enclosed was a round-trip ticket to New York, asking the young\u00a0 man to pay him a visit.<\/p>\n

The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street.\u00a0 He then pointed to a great new building there, a palace of reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.\u00a0 \u201cThat,\u201d he said, \u201cis the hotel I\u2019d like you to manage.\u201d<\/p>\n

That old man\u2019s name was William Waldorf Astor, and the magnificent structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.\u00a0 The clerk who became the first manager was George C. Boldt.\u00a0 This young clerk never foresaw how his simple act of sacrificial service would lead him to become the manager of one of the world\u2019s most glamorous hotels.<\/p>\n

The way to the top with people is not just through service.\u00a0 It\u2019s through extravagant, sacrificial service.\u00a0 When someone goes out of their way to help you, it makes all the difference in the world.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the difference between getting a grumpy, inattentive waitress verus a professional, friendly server who you actually enjoy talking to and who allows a special order to fit your tastes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the difference between calling customer support and plowing through automated menus versus being instantly connected to a live person who goes out of their way to help.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the difference between having a professor who just tolerates your questions versus having one who spends extra time and goes the extra mile to help you really grasp the material.<\/p>\n

When others do their very best to serve us, their influence increases.\u00a0 We don\u2019t look down on them for serving us.\u00a0 On the contrary, our respect level for them rises.\u00a0 We\u2019re often so impressed that we start considering ways we can serve them in return!\u00a0 Their attitude and initiative is attractive.\u00a0 As I discuss this with people, few disagree with the idea.\u00a0 However, many don\u2019t buy it.\u00a0 Most don\u2019t serve others this way because they fear being looked down upon.\u00a0 They struggle with pride.\u00a0 They feel serving others creates a view of them that is lower; after all \u2013 those at the top are being served!\u00a0 Let me play a little game with you to show how wrong this assumption is.<\/p>\n

Question: In your past, who has served you more than anyone else in the world?\u00a0 The answer for most of us is our mother.\u00a0 Moms usually do anything to serve their kids.\u00a0 Now, think about this.\u00a0 Do you think LESS of your mother for serving you, or MORE of her?\u00a0 My guess is, your\u00a0 love and respect for her goes up when she sacrificially serves.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no different with us.\u00a0 When we serve others, our influence increases as well.\u00a0 My friend Zig Ziglar is famous for saying, \u201cYou can have everything in life you want if you just help enough people get what they want!\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s true.\u00a0 He\u2019s one of the most humble servant-leaders I\u2019ve ever met, and he\u2019s at the top of his field.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not the only one.\u00a0 Most of the great leaders I\u2019ve run across have embraced the Waldorf Principle.\u00a0 Case in point:\u00a0 When Michael Eisner was CEO of Disney, his job description included \u201ctrash collecting.\u201d\u00a0 Just imagine, the CEO of a billion dollar organization, picking up trash at his own theme park.\u00a0 Think about the kind of effect that must have had on his employees.\u00a0 He could have just ordered someone else to do it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s ironic.\u00a0 You\u2019d think that true influence would come through force \u2013 ordering others around and letting people know you\u2019re the boss.\u00a0 But just the opposite is true.\u00a0 Real influence comes through humbly serving others.\u00a0 It\u2019s one of the greatest leadership paradoxes in existence.<\/p>\n

Paths of Power<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are all sorts of ways you can go about achieving influence.\u00a0 Some of them are better than others.\u00a0\u00a0 Take a look at the following list and see if you an identify which model you use most.\u00a0 I\u2019ve ordered from worst to best.<\/p>\n

7. Force:<\/strong>\u00a0People follow because they feel threatened and are overpowered.\u00a0 They move unwillingly, and are quick to rebel if given the chance.\u00a0 Unhealthy governments do this.\u00a0 It\u2019s the worst path to power.<\/p>\n

6. Manipulation:<\/strong>\u00a0People follow you because you coerce them.\u00a0 You use words to trick them and back them into a corner.\u00a0 They have no choice.\u00a0 Folks resent being used and quickly seek a healthier environment.<\/p>\n

5. Intimidation:<\/strong>\u00a0People follow you because they are afraid not to.\u00a0 They feel emotionally bullied by you and obey because they want to avoid being fired, hurt, embarrassed, ect\u2026\u00a0 This is the third worst path and is often used when quick action is needed.<\/p>\n

4. Exchange:<\/strong>\u00a0This is the most common path to power we use.\u00a0 People follow you because you can do something for them.\u00a0 Both parties receive something: you work; your boss pays you.\u00a0 This path works, but it\u2019s still temporal.\u00a0 It\u2019s over when one party finds a better deal.<\/p>\n

3. Persuasion:<\/strong>\u00a0People follow you because they are moved to cooperation.\u00a0 They agree because of the ideas or incentives, which you provide.\u00a0 This path now utilizes verbal expression, which makes others want to follow you.\u00a0 Persuasion means \u201cthrough sweetness.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Motivation:<\/strong> People will follow you because you create excitement.\u00a0 Your cause and your passion move others to action.\u00a0 People willingly go where they would not have gone themselves.\u00a0 This is an even better approach, but still not the best.<\/p>\n

1. Honor:<\/strong> People follow you because you honor them through service.\u00a0 You and your followers have a mutual respect for each other.\u00a0 Others submit because you\u2019ve earned their esteem.\u00a0 This is the best path and the longest lasting form of leadership.\u00a0 It earns fierce loyalty and commitment as a result.<\/p>\n

Think again about the night that George Boldt served Mr. Waldorf and his wife.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know who they were.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t see what they could give him in return one day.\u00a0 He just honored anyone who came through the door.\u00a0 And\u2014he won them over.\u00a0 When you take the path of honor your influence increases.\u00a0 Even if you don\u2019t have a formal leadership position at your school or work, you can still influence others.\u00a0 Martin Luther King Jr. once said, \u201cEverybody can be great\u2026because anybody an serve.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to have a college degree to serve.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.\u00a0 You only need a heart full of grace.\u00a0 A soul generated by love.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Waldorf Principle reminds leaders that the way to greatness is through sacrifical and extravagant service.\u00a0 In November, 2005, Oprah Winfrey honored some people who practiced this principle, following Hurricane Katrina.\u00a0 After that natural disaster, thousands of victims were displaced, without a home or food.\u00a0 Many Americans left their own comfort to serve them\u2014at times at great expense.\u00a0 Mary Burnham was a nurse who wanted to serve the victims in Louisiana.\u00a0 Her hospital wouldn\u2019t give her time off to do it.\u00a0 So, she quit her job.\u00a0 Serving the less fortunate was more important to her.\u00a0 Ryan Devin left Chicago to serve folks after the hurricane.\u00a0 How did he pay for his trip?\u00a0 He sold his World Series tickets\u2014the tickets to watch his own Chicago White Sox play in a world Series they hadn\u2019t been to in more than 80 years!\u00a0 He had never missed a game in thirty years.\u00a0 Extravagant?\u00a0 Sacrificial?\u00a0 You bet.\u00a0 But if you want to connect with others, be a servant to them.\u00a0 Forcing influence always backfires.\u00a0 Earning influence through honor always pays off.\u00a0 Remember the simple clerk, Mr. Boldt, and take the path of a servant leader.<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The way to the top with people is by serving them extravagantly and sacrificially.\u00a0 A simple clerk did this for Mr. Waldorf, and the rich tycoon returned to make that clerk his first hotel manager in New York.\u00a0 People expect good service from leaders.\u00a0 They are surprised when we serve them sacrificially. One stormy night … Continue reading “The Waldorf Principle Networkers Like You Can Use to Grow More”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[452],"class_list":["post-452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-g-blogs","tag-the-waldorf-principle"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogzynergy.com\/bz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogzynergy.com\/bz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogzynergy.com\/bz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogzynergy.com\/bz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogzynergy.com\/bz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogzynergy.com\/bz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":453,"href":"https:\/\/blogzynergy.com\/bz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452\/revisions\/453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogzynergy.com\/bz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogzynergy.com\/bz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogzynergy.com\/bz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}