This document outlines Jim Hunter's approach to servant leadership and provides guidance on how to implement servant leadership skills and principles. It discusses Hunter's books on servant leadership and defines key leadership skills like patience, kindness, humility, and respectfulness. It also outlines an everyday servant leadership approach used by CEO Mark Skogen at Festival Foods, including things like daily huddles, recognition of staff, and ensuring all associates have what they need to succeed.

1. Mark Skogen
CEO, President
Jim Hunter’s Servant Leadership
• Jim Hunter authored two
books:
– The Servant: A Simple Story
About the True Essence of
Leadership
– The World’s Most Powerful
Leadership Principle: How to
Become a Servant Leader
• Fifteen plus years of
reminders
– We never “arrive”

2. Being A Servant Leader
• Influencing people to work enthusiastically
toward goals identified as being for the
common good
• Leadership is an influence process
• Any time two or more people come together
there is an opportunity for leadership to occur
Leadership Skills Defined
• Patience: to show self control, impulse control
• Kindness: to give attention, appreciation,
encouragement; common courtesy
• Humility: to be authentic, not boastful,
arrogant, prideful or “puffed up”
• Respectfulness: to treat others as important
people

3. Leadership Skills Defined
• Selflessness: to meet the legitimate needs of
others
• Forgiveness: to give up resentment when
wronged
• Honesty: to be free from deceptive behavior;
accountability
• Commitment: to stick to the choice(s) you
have made
Keys To Success
• Identify legitimate needs; don’t be a slave to
wants
• Remove barriers and obstacles
• Do our associates have what they need to
succeed?
• Don’t confuse power with authority
– Power is given; authority is earned
– It’s a bad day when your authority has broken
down and you have to use power
– Power weakens relationships

4. Legitimate Needs
Everyday Servant Leadership
• Nice Going memos and
stickers
• Celebrate good guest
feedback
• Open door policy
• Sundown rule
• Attend special events and
unfortunate gatherings
• Honesty At Work mailbox
• Birthday cards

5. Everyday Servant Leadership
• Huddle Ups
– Done daily
– 2 people or 50 people
– Share sales, celebrate
birthdays, read good news
emails
– Give everyone a chance
to share
– Take the larger huddle up information back to smaller
huddles and share again
– Recognize service anniversaries to show
appreciation to associates
Leadership Responsibility
• Leaders hold teammates accountable to
standards and expectations
– Ignoring a gap in expectations
and standards is poor leadership
• Associates need to know the
speed limit and what happens to
them if they break it!
• If turnover is high in a department, it can most
likely be tracked to a lack of leadership
– People don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses!
– Lousy boss = lousy job

6. Who Should Lead?
• Not everyone is destined to be
the leader
• Great leaders best at task
– Don’t be afraid to promote
someone to lead a department
they know nothing about
• Don’t believe stereotypes,
leadership can surface in any
personality or style
Holding Teammates Accountable
• Once an issue has been identified, a Servant
Leader takes corrective action
• This action should focus on facts, actions,
and goals
– This should be an unemotional process
• The 3 E’s of corrective action
– Establish
– Explore
– Eliminate

7. The Culture
• Our culture traced back to 1946; it does not
grow in a positive way overnight
• Culture eats strategy for breakfast every day
• Although easier to maintain than establish, it
can be quickly lost
Sharing the Culture
New Associate Orientation
• Each new associate participates in a one hour
orientation at the beginning of their career with
Festival Foods
– The parents of minors are invited
• They hear directly from me, or my dad, on what
matters, what is important and what we expect
– Hearing it directly from me hopefully has an impact
on them
– I want associates to know that we are in this together
and to know what matters around here

8. Defining Our Culture
• The Boomerang Theory: Every
business decision is made with one
question in mind: Will it bring the
customer back?
Culture Tools
• Ten Tiling
– Greeting guests is not hard work and it’s not
dangerous
– we have never had an associate report an injury
from saying hello too much!
• This idea is not optional
• Associates are held accountable to important
standards

9. Culture Leads to Empowerment
• Teammates are empowered to make
decisions and take action that will bring the
customer back
• That also means they “own” the issue until it
is resolved
• We receive a lot of
great emails from
customers – and they
aren’t bragging about
our ketchup!
Boomerang Basics
• The Paradigm Shift
– Our mission statement speaks volumes to what
we are trying to do every day
– The Boomerang Basics are actionable items
that describe HOW we will develop our
associates, provide a clean store and quality
products, and that enjoyable shopping
experience for guests

10. BB – Introduction
• At Festival Foods, we’re a team of servant
leaders on a mission to provide our guests
with a clean store, friendly people, quality
products, and an enjoyable shopping
experience for “not a lotta money.” But what
does that really mean in daily practice? The
27 Boomerang Basics listed here provide
the answer. They define how we relate to
our guests, each other, and even our
community. They’re who we are, and they’re
what drive our extraordinary success.
BB 1, 2, 3
1. TREAT EVERY CUSTOMER AS A GUEST. Show customers the
same hospitality you’d show a guest in your home. Make sure they
walk into a clean store that’s warm and inviting. Be courteous and
helpful. Give them your personal attention and find ways to make their
visit an experience they’ll share with others.
2. LIVE THE BOOMERANG PRINCIPLE. Make decisions that will
“bring the guest back” to our stores. Create engaging, memorable
experiences. If we take care of our guests first, success will follow.
3. HAVE A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT MINDSET. Regularly
evaluate every aspect of your job to find ways to improve and simplify.
“Because we’ve always done it that way” is not a valid reason to keep
doing something. Don’t be satisfied with the status quo. Help find a
better way.

11. BB 4, 5, 6
4. THINK AND ACT LIKE THE OWNER YOU ARE. Make decisions by
asking yourself, “What should I do since this is our company? What
should I do since this is our money? Will this help our company win?”
5. RECOGNIZE AND REACT TO GUEST NEEDS. Look for
opportunities to assist our guests. Offer help when they look lost or
confused. Always escort them to products, rather than directing them.
Help them reach items on higher shelves. Assist them with their bags.
Remember that DYFET is a call to action and a chance to shine, not a
survey question. Go the extra mile.
6. SHARE INFORMATION. Learn to ask yourself, “Who else needs to
know this?” When in doubt, share more rather than less. The more
people know, the better we can work together to serve our guests.
BB 7, 8, 9
7. CELEBRATE SUCCESS. Catching people doing things right is more
effective than catching them doing things wrong. Regularly extend
meaningful appreciation and recognition – in all directions throughout
our company.
8. DELIVER RESULTS. While we appreciate effort, we reward and
celebrate results. Set high goals and hold yourself and others
accountable for achieving results.
9. HONOR COMMITMENTS. Do what you say you’re going to do,
when you say you’re going to do it. If a commitment can’t be fulfilled,
notify others early and agree upon a new commitment to be honored.
This includes being on time for all phone calls, appointments,
meetings, and work.

12. BB 10, 11, 12
10. PRACTICE SAFETY FIRST. Know and practice the safety
procedures for your job. Be concerned for the health and safety of your
teammates as well. Never take short cuts that compromise safety.
Think prevention and communicate when things are not working.
11. CHECK THE EGO AT THE DOOR. Don’t let your own ego or
personal agenda get in the way of doing what’s best for our guests and
for our company. Worrying about who gets credit, who’s to blame, or
taking things personally is counterproductive.
12. EMBRACE CHANGE. What got us here is not the same as what
will get us to the next level. Be inspired by the challenges and
opportunities that change brings, rather than holding on to old ways of
doing things.
BB 13, 14, 15
13. PRACTICE TEN TILING. Acknowledge and engage guests
and fellow associates whenever you’re within ten tiles of them.
Use people’s names whenever possible.
14. SPEAK STRAIGHT. Speak honestly in a way that moves the
action forward. Make clear and direct requests. Say what you
mean, and be willing to share ideas or raise issues that may
cause conflict when it’s necessary for team success. Address
issues directly with those who are involved or affected.
15. ENSURE THAT WE’RE IN STOCK ON ALL ITEMS.
Keeping every item in stock is everyone’s responsibility. Always
be aware of stock levels and speak up when you see inventory is
low. Our guests can’t buy products we don’t have.

13. BB 16, 17, 18
16. LISTEN GENEROUSLY. Listening is more than simply “not
speaking.” Give others your undivided attention. Quiet the noise
in your head and let go of the need to agree or disagree. Listen
with care to fully understand what others are communicating.
17. PRACTICE BLAMELESS PROBLEM-SOLVING. Fix
mistakes by focusing on solutions. Then identify lessons learned
and use those lessons to improve our processes so we don’t
make the same mistake again.
18. HAVE EACH OTHERS’ BACKS. Be willing to step into
another role or help a fellow associate when that’s what’s
required for success. There’s no such thing as one person or
department succeeding and another falling short. We win and
lose as a team.
BB 19, 20, 21
19. MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. “The answer is ‘Yes’, now what’s your
question?” Respond to every situation by looking for how we can do it,
rather than explaining why it can’t be done. Take personal
responsibility by owning the project or problem, following up, and
seeing things through to their completion.
20. BE A BRAND AMBASSADOR. We’re all responsible for, and
benefit from, the Festival Foods brand and reputation. Your
appearance and conduct should be a reflection of how we want others
to view our company. Show your support by shopping where you work
and by encouraging your friends to shop here too.
21. BE THE EXPERT. Our guests expect us to not only offer quality
products, but to know more about our products than they do. Take the
time to learn everything that you can about your area. Ask questions
and do research to make yourself an expert.

14. BB 22, 23, 24
22. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT WE’RE A FAMILY. Build relationships
with peers and guests that go deeper than simply being co-workers or
conducting a transaction. Whether it’s a kind word during a tough stretch, a
friendly smile each morning, or a helping hand in stressful times, show
your compassion.
23. BRING YOUR “A GAME” EVERY DAY. Everyone is needed and
everyone’s important. Be here and be fully engaged. Make the most of
each day by approaching every task with energy, focus, purpose, and
enthusiasm. Work with a sense of urgency to get things done.
24. BE FUSSY ABOUT THE DETAILS. From how an item is displayed to
how clean the floor is, from the color of a sign to whether your nametag is
on straight . . . every detail matters. Being fussy and getting the details
right sets us apart from our competitors.
BB 25, 26, 27
25. MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Be an active part of your community by
getting involved and participating in community organizations and
events. You can and do make a difference.
26. EXPRESS GENUINE GRATITUDE. Let our guests know how
much we appreciate their business. Whenever possible, use “My
Pleasure” or “Thank You” in your response. Make eye contact, smile
and be sincere. True appreciation can’t be faked.
27. KEEP THINGS FUN. Remember that the world has bigger
problems than a broken jar of tomato sauce or a box of overripe
bananas. Keep perspective. Laugh every day and don’t take yourself
too seriously.