We have gone to 4 countries, visited 7 ciites and interviewed over 2,000 employees over the last three months to find good service oriented employees to fuel the Khidmah vision.

Lighten Your Leaders Load
The higher in the organization the more responsibility.  Responsibility is heavy and weighs on the leader.  Most people think that a promotion just goes with greater benefits, but it does not, it goes with greater responsibility.

You as a follower can do 1 or 2 things; you can lighten your leaders load or increase it.

1. Lifting your Leader Lifts You
   If you lighten the leaders load then you help the leader to succeed.  When you lighten the load you allow the organization to succeed.  If the organization succeeds, then you as a follower have opportunities and you succeed.  You are lighten the leaders load to help you, help the leader, and help the organization.
2. Lifting Shows you are a Team Player
   I have had a few great followers that have lightened my load as a leader, and inevitability they are the ones carrying the heaviest loads themselves.  However, even when they were super busy, they would always ask – “what can I do to help “us” or help the team.
3. Lifting Shows Gratitude for being on the team
   Each member of the team plays a role in helping the team succeed.  By helping the leader you are helping your team and thus showing that you are grateful to be on the Khidmah team.
   We are getting a reputation for a good company to work for.  In order to keep this alive and true, we must be grateful to be on the team and do everything we can do make the team successful.
4. Lifting Makes you part of something bigger
   The vision of Khidmah is bigger than any one person, any one team, any one department, and any one division.  It will be seen, however the question is “do you want to be apart of something that is bigger than you?”
    
5. Lifting gets you noticed
   Let’s face it, you do not give yourself a promotion, a raise, or praise.  It is your leader who controls a lot of this.  If you are lightening their load, you will be most likely receive what you deserve. 
6. Lifting increases your value and influence

Many times, the people of influence with the leader are the ones that are lightening the leaders load.  They are not “Yes, Men” but they are helping the leader succeed.

How to do it?

• Do your own job well first – get your job done 
  Find out what exactly is important from your leader for you to get done.  Meet with them at least once a week and ask the question:  What do you need for me to be focused on and completed?
• When you find a problem, provide Solutions
  Bring solutions not problems.  Leaders deal with problems and value problem solvers. Leaders don’t have all of the answers, and good leaders listen to problem solving people.  It might not be your solution that will be finally executed, but your solution may lead to a solution. 
• Tell Leaders What they need to Hear, not What they want to hear
  Good Leaders want to be the first to hear bad news.  They hate hearing the bad news from someone outside their team and especially from their boss or a customer. But you must start small and don’t take a fire hose to your leader.  And especially make sure NOT to jump over your boss to your boss’s boss.
• Go the Second Mile
  Second Mile or Whatever it Takes team players stand out to the leader.  They quickly become the go to player on the team. 
• Stand up for your leader when you can
  Debate and communication with your leader is great, however when a decision has been made, the debate end and you must follow the leader.  Loyalty means executing the decision even if the decision was not your own. 
• Stand in for your leader whenever you Can
  You carry two buckets – one with water and one with gasoline.  As leaders, we continually come across small fires – you can either put water on them and take care of it for your leader, or put on gasoline and add something to your leaders plate. 

• Ask your leader how you can lift the load
  Think, and then anticipate what your leader needs and will need.  And then come out and ask your leader if you are doing your own job and doing it well.  Then ask them to tell you what you can help them with.
• Follow up with what your leaders asks
  Your leader will request for you to do a task or lead a function.  It is your responsibility to update the leader on what he/she has asked you to do on a weekly basis.  The leader should never have to ask the follower for an update.
• Set your leaders expectations and update on changes
  When your leader asks you to do a task or lead a function, you must do the following:

1. Confirm with email that you have gotten the information and accept the assignment.
2. In the confirmation, set a date that you think you can get the job done and request if that meets your Leaders expectation.
3. Then as things progress and the deliverable and deadline change – update your leader on the new expected completion date and what you will deliver.
4. When you finish the project, ask the Leader if you have met his/her expectation and how you can improve next time.

Lead On!
Sutton

Khidmah Team,

Most movies that I have seen have a “sticky part” - during the movie there is a climax, an intense part, or some part of the movie where the main action or drama happens.  In some movies, especially scary movies, I will close my eyes during this part, as I have a weak stomach and don’t think I can handle it.  When I open my eyes after the “sticky part” is over, my wife, and now even my 9-year-old daughter, says, “Dad, you missed the best part.”  And you know, I did miss out on the best part.  It is the part of the movie that my kids talk about in the car all of the way home.  They discuss and laugh about that experience that they shared watching it together – almost like they were part of the movie.  But because I did not hang in there through the “sticky part” – I missed out on that shared experience.

Well, as I think about where Khidmah is right now, we are in the “sticky” part.  We have planned, and tried to prepare for everything that is happening.  And to be honest, not everything thus far has gone perfect – it never does.

But I want to encourage everyone!  What we are going through is one of the toughest parts of setting up a business.
At the end of this month, we will have grown from 15 people to 232 strong in just 6 months.  We will have rolled out maintenance, cleaning, landscaping, health, leasing and property management on all of our properties – all since March 1st!  That will strain any team.  But having built a company before, this is the “sticky” part.  You don’t want to close your eyes, check out, or miss this part. If you do, you will be like me on the way home from the movie with my family.  They are all talking about that crucial moment and “the best part” and I missed it by closing my eyes.  Everyone must focus and give a little more effort during the sticky part or when others fondly remember you will know that you weren’t there giving it your every effort.
After this summer is over and Ramadan has come and gone, we will look back at this summer.  We will remember the “sticky part” and laugh and enjoy our accomplishment together.  This is what we will talk about saying – “do you remember when …?”
We have momentum, which has been built up to this point, to carry us across the bumps in the road that we will overcome.
I reflected for a moment on what we have accomplished.  It is really great.  Not many teams can do what we have done, nor will go where we are going.
We should all be very excited; 
each one of us has the right to claim “ownership” in this accomplishment, as our Vision is bigger than any one person. So, I want to first say “thanks” for your hard work.  And secondly, encourage you through the “sticky” part.  Don’t close your eyes or you will miss the best part of the Khidmah story.
Lead On!
Sutton

Most of us think of leadership as telling people what to do.  As we have discussed in our meetings, that is a false definition of leadership.  Leadership comes in many different forms.  One form is Servant Leadership.  Servant Leadership is based on showing (by doing) your leadership by serving, helping, assisting, or coaching someone to advance them or allow them to have success.  Servant leadership addresses 4 main questions in Leadership:

1. Who? – Who are you leading or serving?  Only the powerful people or only your boss?
   At Khidmah, we need to serve everyone and be a leader to everyone.
2. What? - What are your skills?  What are you good at?  What comes easily to you?
   What comes easy for you may be hard for someone else.  Use these skills to help others and lead others by serving them.
3. Why? - Are you only serving someone for you to get a promotion?  To get more pay?  |
   No, we need to serve others to allow them to grow as leaders.  Everyone should measure their success by the success of people around them.
4. How?  – How do you serve someone?  Do you do it with a smile or because someone is making you do it?
   Serve and lead by being positive.  The priority characteristic of the culture at Khidmah is “Being Positive, always Positive.”  Being positive is a choice, you can look at the good in every situation.  People want to follow a positive leader.

Questions to ask yourself:
Why is leading people by serving them so difficult and so hard to do?
What are you doing to make someone else better?

We have a saying at Khidmah – called HNL – Hole Nuther Level.  Yes, this is not spelled correctly, but that is what makes it fun.  Basically, HNL is that everyone is at some leadership level.  It should be everyone’s goal to get to the next level – or HNL.  So, the question (in Khidmah terms) is “What are you doing to help your Team Member get to a HNL?

Last Question to think about: How hard is it to Serve or Lead someone who does not want you to succeed?  This is a HNL of leadership.

1. A Leader Builds himself/herself – Improves himself before asking others to improve
   As we have discussed, you must lead yourself before you can lead others.
   A leader Must know what your weakness is and continue to work to make that weakness not detrimental to the Team’s performance.  Example:  Patience
2. A Leader Builds people up, does not tear them down
   Thank you is the greatest word and tool for a leader.  Taking note that someone does a job and does it well is most important.  People want to be recognized for a job well done and the best way as a leader to do this is with the words “Thank you.”
   But on the other side of leadership, is correcting and encouraging seen later in the next point.
   
   
3. A Leader Builds by looking – Looks for Mistakes and ways to improve (first themselves, then others)
   Yes, it is important to complement a follower on a job well, however just as important, a leader must not be afraid to communicate when a follower is not making or hitting the mark.  Honest leadership is critical, especially in a growing organization.  When you are faced with an issue where a follower is making mistakes and holding back the team, you must communicate this to the follower in a positive and constructive way.
   Special attention by the Leader must be paid to NOT make the correction personal, but fully professional.   Then constructive advice should be given to the follower on how to correct the mistake and avoid the mistake in the future.
   
   
4. A Leader Builds by doing – Leads by example first
   You can not expect others to do what you are not willing to do.
   Example of going to Bangladesh, Philippines, Nepal, etc.
   
   
5. A Leader Builds a Vision, for others to make their own
   Leadership is all about looking ahead.  Leaders must focus on what is coming and what plan needs to be executed today to make tomorrow a success.  Then after a leader has a plan, they must communicate their vision to their followers.  But the important point here is not just to communicate, you must make the Leader’s Vision the Team’s Vision.  They must “feel the vision of tomorrow” and know where they fit into that vision.
   
   
6. A Leader Builds a Team – The team must be an extension of the leader, the vision, and themselves.
   In our example of Constantine and Suleiman, both of these leaders build up massive acquisitions of land, buildings, etc.  Both did it in the name of a religion or a vision for the future – one Christian, and one Muslim.
   Even though these leaders had people scattered across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, they MUST have had followers that were an extension of the leader.It is imperative that we are an extension of the same team – all speaking the same business language, seeing the same vision.  If we are, then when situations arise when we must make a decision for the team, we make the same decision.  Example:  Taghrid leading her team.

7. A Leader Builds a better future for many – Makes a difference.
   As a leader we must be out for not only the betterment of our followers but the betterment of our surroundings.
   Lead On!
   Sutton

Khidmah L.L.C (Khidmah), Abu Dhabi’s first Emirati owned and operated services management company, has taken over the management of three premier residential communities. These properties which include a total of 886 units are Khalidiya Village and Sas Al Nakhl in Abu Dhabi and Al Oyoun Village, located in Al Ain.

Abu Dhabi, U.A.E – June 30, 2009
Khidmah, the first Emirati owned and operated services management company in Abu Dhabi, today announces the agreement to manage three premier residential communities for Sorouh Real Estate, P.J.S.C. Khidmah will provide comprehensive property management services of these 886 Villas in Khalidiya Village and Sas Al Nakhl in Abu Dhabi, as well as Al Oyoun Village located in Al Ain.

“We’re very excited that Sorouh has given us the opportunity to not only do the property management and leasing on these properties, but perform all of the services management to these properties.  With a single call center, it will enable Khidmah to offer the residents a better quality of service and at a better price for Sorouh,” said Sutton Turner, CEO of Khidmah, L.L.C.
On each of the three properties, Khidmah will take over complete administration and leadership in all aspects of property and services management. As part of Khidmah’s comprehensive services management approach, all available residences at the three properties will also be listed on www.UAE2Let.com, the company’s exclusive real estate leasing site.
Employing clear processes and standardized practices across all the properties, Khidmah is able to manage and maintain every aspect of successful, profitable development. Khidmah’s Services Management approach includes consulting, facilities and maintenance, leasing, cleaning, landscaping, health and fitness, re-sales, customer call centers and an ever expanding list of specialized capabilities, all provided under a single point of contact. With highly trained employees, integrated processes and in-depth understanding of the people and properties they serve, Khidmah serves the vision of Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

For more information on Khidmah or any of these properties, visit www.Khidmah.com