Built to Serve: How to Drive the Bottom Line with People-First Practices [Hardcover]

Dan J. Sanders (Author), Stephen Covey (Author), Ken Blanchard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071497927 | ISBN-13: 978-0071497923 | Publication Date: September 28, 2007 | Edition: 1

In Built to Serve, Dan Sanders, CEO of the award-winning, service-oriented United Supermarkets, makes this bold claim: the prevailing business culture is broken and a radical transformation is required-a paradigm shift that reshapes our understanding of the true purpose of work.

Leaders have a choice-continue to chase a broken price-profit model and suffer the consequences or build a culture committed to servanthood and discover the fulfillment evident when people see their work as a ministry. The choice leaders make will not only determine economic success and failure but also will determine their organization's long term impact on humanity.

The time is now. Sanders reveals how your people can adopt United's mission of “Ultimate Service, Superior Performance, Positive Impact.” He distills valuable lessons from nine decades of a people-centered culture that consistently delivers outstanding customer service and reveals how you can develop a fully engaged, productive workforce.

• Treat your customers like partners
• Create a people-centered culture in a numbers-focused world
• Communicate your organization's vision
• Focus on strengths, not weaknesses
• Tie performance to the success of your mission
• Reduce your employee turnover
• Build communities connected by an emotional bond
• Ensure sustainability and growth-with an eye on the principles that allowed your success in the first place

When you're built to serve, employees come to work because they want to, not just because they have to. Built to Serve is your hands-on guide to seeking this higher purpose.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

When You Empower People You Get Powerful Results

“[This book] inspires your spirit...The United Supermarkets model, taught in a most excellent and successful way.”-Stephen R. Covey

“Built to Serve calls for a profound shift in the philosophy and practice of business. We can all learn a great deal from Dan's leadership and United's legacy.”-from the Afterword by Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and Leading at a Higher Level

“Success in business requires a dedication to certain basic principles, not the least of which is realizing a company's best asset is its people. Dan Sanders has done a remarkable job of illustrating how this philosophy, when applied consistently, can improve the health of any business.”-Kenneth Cooper, M.D., Cooper Aerobics Center

“Leaders will profit from the groundbreaking principles advocated in this book.”-Claude Dollins, Chairman, The Center for Corporate Culture

About the Author

Dan J. Sanders is CEO of United Supermarkets, the first supermarket to win the prestigious National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. Sanders is also cofounder of The Center for Corporate Culture, which challenges and coaches CEOs and their teams to build corporate cultures focused on leadership, ethics, wellness, and execution. In addition to his business endeavors, Sanders is also a former Air Force U-2 reconnaissance pilot and a highly decorated officer.

www.danjsanders.com

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071497927
• ISBN-13: 978-0071497923
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan J. Sanders is the President of ACME Markets, a 120 year old Philadelphia-based subsidiary of SUPERVALU, Incorporated. He assumed his current responsibilities in March 2010 following a successful career as CEO of United Supermarkets in Lubbock, Texas. Dan is a graduate of Lubbock Christian University where he earned his BA degree. He also holds an MBA from Pepperdine University. Both universities have honored him since graduation with a variety of awards including the prestigious George Award from Pepperdine University in 2010.

In addition to his business accomplishments, Dan is also a highly decorated veteran of the Gulf War. A senior Air Force pilot, Dan flew the U-2 spyplane and served as an instructor pilot and flight examiner during a career that lasted more than a decade. He left active duty with the rank of Major.

Dan is also an accomplished writer and an active philanthropist. His first book, Built to Serve, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. His second book, Equipped to Lead, was co-authored with Galen Walters, a friend and business partner for more than 15 years. Both books were published by McGraw-Hill. Dan donates 100% of his book royalties to charitable organizations. He currently serves on a variety of non-profit boards throughout the country.

Dan is married to Shanna Renfrow and the couple has two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concentration on Culture Pays Off, October 13, 2007

By 

Scott Mcneill (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Built to Serve: How to Drive the Bottom Line with People-First Practices (Hardcover)

Built to Serve is a book that every CEO, executive, business owner, manager, and employee should read. I enjoyed the insight given by Dan on building one of the most successful supermarket chains in the country. Dan Sanders, CEO of United Supermarkets, has shared how focusing on people and building a corporate culture around our true nature as human beings will lead to an organization where employees truly enjoy their work and financial success is a by-product of the culture. Dan shows how to unlock the true greatness that is inside each individual at your company which in turn drives success. By focusing on people instead of the bottom-line, good performance by management and employees comes genuinely and naturally as we each are designed to serve. The results of such a strategy are both personally and financially rewarding.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Built to Serve, September 20, 2007

By 

William J. Rogers II - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Built to Serve: How to Drive the Bottom Line with People-First Practices (Hardcover)

One great book....easy to read and understand! Should be read by all -- not just those in management. Full of wisdom, wonderful ideas, and simple models that anyone can follow. The best book I've seen in a long, long time!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing new management approach, October 4, 2007

By 

Chuck Watson "Chuck" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Built to Serve: How to Drive the Bottom Line with People-First Practices (Hardcover)

This book finally spells out what's important in business. I've waited for someone to stand up and declare that money isn't the bottom line in business. If Corporate America would grasp these principles, I'm convinced we would see tremendous results!