2. Servant leadership has always been core to Nordstrom’s
philosophy. In an era of increasing growth, change,
and evolving customer expectations, leadership is
more important than ever to ensure we are supporting
talent and teams to deliver great customer experiences.
Not only are customer expectations evolving, but employee
expectations are as well. They expect a workplace to offer
inspiring leadership, meaningful work, a sense of purpose,
and a culture that enables great service.
This playbook has been designed to offer practical,
evidence-based tips and tools for leaders to use in leading
teams and developing people in the 21st century work-
place. The content focuses on how to develop people in
a way that reflects Nordstrom culture and heritage while
incorporating modern research and data on what makes
successful leaders and teams.
The activities and ideas from this playbook reflect a
combination of internal research, external evidence-
based leadership theory, and tools that participants in
our 21st Century Leadership program have indicated
are effective and practical.
CUSTOMERS
SALES & SUPPORT PEOPLE
DEPARTMENT MANAGERS
STORE MANAGERS,
REGIONAL MANAGERS,
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
EXECUTIVE
TEAM, BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
3. 7
BIG IDEAS
1 / EMPATHY & DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES
2 / BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
3 / CAREER & ROLE DEVELOPMENT
4 / FEEDBACK & COACHING
5 / TEAM PURPOSE & MEANINGFUL WORK
6 / EMPOWERMENT & MOTIVATION
7 / LEADING THROUGH CHANGE
The content of this book is laid out in a linear fashion because
each module (or big idea) builds on the previous one. You first
need to master module #1 before being effective at module
#2, and so on.
In other words, before leaders can have tough conversations
and lead their teams through change, they must build a
foundation of trust and awareness of the unique needs and
goals of each team member.
4. SELF
Leadership starts with
self-awareness (recognizing
how you show up),
understanding that others
show up differently, and
being curious and open to
those diverse perspectives.
This requires being able
to listen and seek to
understand before jumping
to conclusions.
THE 21ST
CENTURY
LEADERSHIP APPROACH
1:1
The next step requires
building 1:1 relationships
with individuals within
and beyond your team.
Developing talent starts
with building trust, which
happens through getting
to know people, being
accessible, praising them,
and focusing on their
growth and development.
TEAM
Once leaders have
relationships in place,
they can set their team
up for success by ensuring
people see their work
as to the organization,
understand their purpose,
and feel empowered to
utilize their full capabilities
to deliver great customer
service.
ORGANIZATION
Finally, leaders must be
prepared to lead their teams
through continual change
and growth, whether it’s
reacting to external market
or company changes, or
leading innovation efforts
internally.
1) EMPATHY DIVERSE
PERSPECTIVES
2) BUILDING
RELATIONSHIPS
3) CAREER ROLE
DEVELOPMENT
4) FEEDBACK
COACHING
5) TEAM PURPOSE
MEANINGFUL WORK
6) EMPOWERMENT
MOTIVATION
7) LEADING THROUGH
CHANGE
5. We are in an era of a diverse workforce and are seeing a trend
of shorter tenures with more frequent moves between jobs. In
fact, a comprehensive study done by PayScale (2015) found
the average tenure at Fortune 500 companies is slightly less
than four years. At Nordstrom, leaders are managing teams
that bring diversity in cultural backgrounds, experiences, and
perspectives. Understanding that employees come to
situations with their own unique perspective can help leaders
flex their style appropriately to meet the needs of diverse teams.
Furthermore, research has shown that diverse teams and
companies tend to be more profitable, have more customers, and
be more innovative.
First, recognize that the way you experience and interpret the
world around you is different from others. Be an active listener
and be curious in order to understand and appreciate different
perspectives. Remember that in every situation, different
individuals will have different interpretations of their
experiences based on their unique perspectives. As a leader
it’s important to flex your style to each individual.
EMPATHY
DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES
“The experience of listening to our people helped this
company more than anything else we could have done.
Ask your top people what they need, because they
have answers.” ~Bruce Nordstrom
6. CULTIVATING CURIOSITY
In conversations with others, assume they’ll have a different
perspective, and be an active listener. Focus on understanding
where they’re coming from, not fixing or judging.
CONDUCT EMPATHY BUILDING 1:1s Make time for 1:1
meetings with the people on your team. Ask and listen to
understand whats working for them, and where they are facing
challenges or obstacles. Listen to their ideas, and remember
that their experience may differ from yours.
DO NEEDFINDING WITH BUSINESS PARTNERS Invest
in building the relationship outside of meetings. Learn more
about their work, priorities, and the context that guides their
decision making.
GO ON BIG PICTURE JOURNEYS Learn more about
company strategies and challenges to understand the bigger
context in which decisions and are being formed. Seek
out colleagues with unique perspectives from yours to
understand their point of view.
EMPATHY INTERVIEWING
TECHNIQUES
ASK OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS Begin conversations
with questions like “Can you tell me about...” “How has it been
going...” or “What did you think about the result...”
FOLLOW UP Ask for details (why, how that made you feel,
what was meant by that); ask instead of making assumptions.
BE CURIOUS When something surprises you, be curious
rather than rush to judgment.
ALLOW FOR PAUSES Empathy interviewing questions
requires reflection and pauses encourage people to fill
in the blanks.
LISTEN 90%, TALK 10% Even though it feels like a
conversation, deflect talking about yourself, but don’t
be a robot either.
DEBRIEF after meetings or
projects so that you don’t
assume people are walking
away with same interpretation
as you. Ask “How do you think
that went? What do you think
we should do next?”
RECOGNIZE that your
intentions may be interpreted
in surprising ways, such
as a leader being quiet to
make space for their team
interpreted as being
unengaged or intimidating.
EMPATHY DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES / 1
RESOURCES:
Emotion Check-In
Empathy Interview guide for Leaders
Brene Brown video “The Power of Empathy”
TRY THIS:
1. Do an “emotion check-in” during stand-up to find out about people’s
moods and support as needed.
2. Lead your 1:1s using the empathy interviewing techniques.
3. Cultivate your curiosity with work partners by conducting an
empathy interview and/or job shadow.
4. Get to know the broader company by visiting the store, sitting
in on customer calls, observing UX research, etc.
LISTEN 90% TALK 10%
7. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
If people don’t trust their manager or feel that they are
accessible and authentic, it becomes difficult to have honest
conversations and for employees to come to the manager with
tough news or hard questions. Employees say trust is critical
to have in a leader, and yet only half of employees trust their
direct leader (Interaction Associates, 2015). Without a trusted
relationship with their manager, employees are less open to
receiving coaching and feedback.
Building trust with team members is the first step to developing
talent and setting yourself up to have tough conversations
when it is required. Take time to get to know your team as in-
dividuals in order to build trust, learn what motivates them,
give the right kind of praise, and ultimately give critical feed-
back and coaching. Show that you’re paying attention to wins
as well as opportunity for growth by giving praise frequently
and informally.
“Because the crew was convinced that I was ‘on their team’
there were never any issues with negative responses to
constructive criticism... You as a mentor have to establish
that you are sincerely interested in the problems of the
person you are mentoring.”
~L. David Marquet, Turn the Ship Around
8. GET TO KNOW YOUR EMPLOYEES
It can seem efficient to jump right into stand-ups, meetings, and
1:1s, and get down to business, but it pays long-term dividends in
building relationships to spend some time using those opportunities
to get to know people, especially when leading across teams.
Below are a few ways to help get to know people better.
INCLUDE A “QUESTION OF THE DAY” in stand-ups/check-ins.
TAKE TIME IN MEETINGS to talk about life beyond work projects.
ENGAGE in an ongoing dialogue with your team beyond 1:1s.
PRACTICE ACTIVE LISTENING vs. waiting to speak.
Praise the individual (not “team”).
Be specific; provide examples.
Be timely (i.e., right after a great meeting).
Think small. It can be a regular part of their job.
Consider public vs. private praise.
BE ACCESSIBLE TO YOUR TEAM
TRY THIS:
1. Include some interpersonal activities into stand-ups, such as
a “question of the day” or praising someone.
2. Make praise part of one stand-up per week, our put it on your
calendar to praise on a regular cadence.
3. Take time in 1:1s to get to know the other person as a person.
4.Fill out the Accessibility worksheet to see how accessible you
are; look for opportunities to be more accessible to your team.
RESOURCES:
1:1 guide
Accessibility worksheet
Praise handout
Question of the Day
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS / 2
PHYSICAL Make time on your calendar to
walk the halls.
SOCIAL Be social with your team; share your outside
interests and hobbies and learn theirs.
EMOTIONAL Share personal feelings and experiences;
be transparent.
For optimal performance,
give people 5.6 pieces of praise
forevery1 criticism.
REGULARLY PRAISE EMPLOYEES
MBA teams who took time to share personal facts and interests before
negotiations had a 90% success rate in their negotiations versus 55%
success rate for teams who did not (RSA short Science of Persuasion).
Harvard Business Review, Ideal Praise to Criticism Ratio
9. Opportunities to develop skills and grow careers are steadily
becoming one of the most desired benefits that employees
seek. Pricewaterhouse Cooper’s research found 52% of
employees indicated career development and training
opportunities as their main priority in taking a job (PwC, 2015).
While career advancement is important for employees to
see growth and take on new challenges, it’s perhaps more
important for them to actively participate in ongoing career
development.
Having meaningful role and career conversations not only
meets expectations of 21st century workers but is also crucial
for gaining trust. These conversations make it clear that you
and the company are investing in their careers as part of a
“mutually beneficial alliance” (Reid Hoffman, The Alliance) in
return for them investing their skills into company success.
Ensureyou’rehavingregularongoingconversationswithemploy-
ees about how they’re doing in their current role and how they’d
like to grow – for development and advancement. Optimize their
role to play to their strengths and the needs of the team.
CAREER
ROLE DEVELOPMENT
“A leader’s job is not to put greatness into people, but
rather to recognize that it already exists, and to create the
environment where that greatness can emerge and grow.”
~Brad Smith, quoted in The Alliance (Reid Hoffman)
10. T-SHAPED CAREER DISCUSSIONS
The following T-shaped model can provide a framework for
having role and career conversations outside of formal job
descriptions and performance discussions.
T-SHAPE: CURRENT SKILLS
Have employees fill out the T-shaped model of their skills and
evaluate against their current role. Consider shifting projects
to play to strengths and challenge them to develop new skills.
KAIZEN T: FUTURE SKILLS
Have employees fill out the “Kaizen T” model of how they
want to grow for a future role, and note what actions can
be taken to get there. Have ongoing conversations with
employees about how they’re growing their skills.
TUNE YOUR EMPLOYEE’S ROLE
TO THEIR STRENGTHS
(FORMAL AND INFORMAL)
Acknowledge and appreciate all the strengths that people
bring to their jobs—not just their title—and try to engage them
in activities where their strengths can shine. Have people take
on specific roles and/or projects for the team connected to
their natural talents and interests:
DEPTH=EXPERTISE
BREADTH = BASIC KNOWLEDGE
THE DETAILS PERSON
THE CONNECTOR
THE ACTION PERSON
THE IDEAS PERSON
THE ORGANIZER
RESOURCES:
T-Shaped People worksheet
Gallup Strengthsfinder
Margaret Heffernan video “Why it’s time to forget the
pecking order at work”
TRY THIS:
1. Have each team member fill out a “T-Shaped” (current skills) and “Kaizen T”
(future skills) worksheet and have them share with each other.
2. Take Strengthsfinder as a team to learn what people are naturally
good at (and build trust).
CAREER DISCUSSIONS ROLE DEVELOPMENT / 3
Software
development
Test driven
development
Python
Project
managementUX Design
Agile
coaching
Technical
writing
Machine
Learning
(Pairing)
Node.js
(Online
course)
Retail
business
(Shadow
in store)
Influencing
others
(Take a Class)
11. Once you’ve developed an empathetic mindset and built
trusting relationships, the time is right for coaching. Providing
timely, relevant, and specific feedback is important to
employee development and the success of the team’s work.
Engagement measurement group 15Five found that regular
communication in the workplace creates an energizing
and healthy work environment that increases employee
engagement and thus increases retention (2015).
Togetpastthediscomfortofgivingcriticalfeedback,managers
should create a culture of transparency and ongoing feedback
(positive and negative) between all team members.
In conversations with employees about their performance,
discuss things that are going well, things that may not be
going as well, and desired outcomes. Be as specific as possible
and focus on the observed behavior. Don’t generalize, and try
not to assume the attitude or intent behind an action.
FEEDBACK COACHING
“Caring personally makes it much easier to do the next
thing you have to do as a good boss, which is being willing
to piss people off.” ~Kim Scott, Radical Candor
12. HAVE AN ONGOING DIALOGUE
Having an ongoing dialogue with employees about work
and life in general will mitigate the discomfort. Don’t wait
until the yearly APR.
A GUIDE FOR TOUGH CONVERSATIONS
ADDRESS BEHAVIOR NOT ATTITUDE
Focus on giving feedback on observed actions, not your assumption
about the attitude you think they represented. Adopt the most
respectful interpretation (MRI) of why the behavior was exhibited
until you find out more.
WHENYOU----------------------------------------------- (observed)
Be specific with the observation; pause for agreement.
IFEEL---------------------------------------------------------- (feeling)
BECAUSEINEED--------------------------------------------- (need)
Share the feeling, and how it may be blocking a task.
HOWMIGHTWE-------------------------------------------(request)
Collaborate on solutions to create a clear path forward.
FEEDBACK COACHING / 4
2[
1[
3[
TRY THIS:
1. Try having a tough conversation prepped using the script.
2. Touch base informally with each teammate to give feedback
on a regular cadence—don’t save up feedback!
RESOURCES:
Attitude vs. Behavior worksheet
Tough Conversations handout
BEHAVIOR
(observed)
The visible action,
what can be seen.
ATTITUDE
(assumed)
What’s going on
internally, what
people assume.
INTENT
INFORMAL
SEMI-FORMAL
FORMAL
THE FOLLOWING COACHING GUIDELINES ARE ADAPTED
FROM HBR’S ARTICLE “HOW TO GIVE YOUR TEAM FEEDBACK.”
Set expectations early and be consistent.
Have regular check-ins with your team and partners.
Give feedback on a regular basis, leading up to structured reviews.
Encourage each team member to develop relationships with
each other.
Set a regular cadence of debriefing every big meeting and
project milestones.
13. In today’s workplace, meaningful work is a primary factor
in driving employee satisfaction and engagement. In fact,
Nordstrom Technology has rated “Meaningful Work” as
their most important NorDNA value since 2013, consistent
with trends seen across the US (PwC, 2015). As we shift to a
“Purpose Economy” (Dan Pink) employees increasingly want
to connect their work to a greater sense of purpose.
Being clear about the organizational and team purpose can
provide a path to meaningful work. For individual purpose, take
time to understand the unique intrinsic motivations of each
member of your team. Once these are established, provide
the support needed (emotional and practical) for employees
to make forward progress and celebrate wins large and small.
TEAM PURPOSE
MOTIVATION
“We have entered a new age of fulfillment, in which the
great dream is to trade up from money to meaning.”
~ Roman Krznaric
14. LEVERAGE INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
Understand the value each person sees in their job and
connect their work to these values.
MAKE PROGRESS CLEAR
A critical component of making people feel engaged and
productive at work is to point out how individuals are making
progress on meaningful work (adapted from “The Progress
Principle,” Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer).
4 ways to help people see progress:
TEAM PURPOSE MOTIVATION / 5
CONNECT WORK TO THE TEAM
AND COMPANY PURPOSE
Explicitly make the connection between your employee’s work
and the larger goals of the team, company, and society.
OUR OFFERING
We provide--------------------------------------------------------------
How (projects, initiatives, teams)---------------------------------
CUSTOMER’S NEEDS
By doing that, we enable our internal customers and/or our
external customers to------------------------------------------------
THE BUSINESS VALUE
Which helps sell more shoes because -----------------------------
MY ROLE
In order to make this happen, I provide the team -------------
TRY THIS:
1. Fill out the Purpose Journey Map and share with your team.
2. For a current project, map out when and how you can best signify
progress for the team.
3. Make sure you know the intrinsic motivation of each person on your
team. If you don’t know, ask in your next 1:1.
RESOURCES:
Purpose Journey Map
Progress Principle handout
EXTRINSIC
Extrinsic motivation occurs
when we’re motivated to do
something in order to earn
a reward, or avoid negative
consequences – such as taking
on a work project in hope of
receiving a raise or award.
INTRINSIC
Intrinsic motivation is when a
behavior is personally rewarding
to someone, such that no
external reward is necessary
– like taking on a project
because you connect with the
values or believe in its mission.
USE CATALYZERS
Set goals, help with the work,
provide autonomy and resources,
let work flow.
USE NOURISHERS
Encouragement, recognition,
and provide emotional support.
CELEBRATE SMALL WINS
Notice and congratulate the team
when something goes well.
CONNECT TO TEAM PURPOSE
Discuss the customer experience
and why it’s important.
15. In surveys from 2013-2015, Empowerment followed closely
behind Meaningful Work for the most impactful value
to Nordstrom Technology employee’s work experience.
Empowerment means communicating a clear vision, defining
clear boundaries and guardrails, then allowing employees
autonomy to use their skills and knowledge to solve meaningful
problems.
Empowerment should be situational and works best when
it is crafted to suit the situation, the project, understanding
of big picture context, skill level, and confidence (Andy Grove).
This depends on knowing each employee’s skills, interests, and
career goals.
EMPOWERMENT
“Teams have the greatest potential to excel when specific
ends are provided, but the means to reach that end are
left open. However, if an error could result in a disaster,
then both ends and means can be specified.”
~Richard Hackman
16. DEFINE FENCES
Defining clear boundaries for project teams and individuals
enables the right level of autonomy for each person and
situation.
Define “fences” for teams and individuals that clearly
lay out the vision they will be measured on and then the
boundaries or constraints they need to work within.
Depending on skill level and experience, different
employees may need different sized fences and goals
to strive for.
It’s best to start with tighter fences and loosen them
over time.
TAILOR TO THE INDIVIDUAL AND
THE SITUATION
Each person needs to be empowered differently based on
the specific task and their attitude, skills, and knowledge.
This comes from Andy Grove, Intel leader and author of
“High Output Management.”
SUPPORT JOB CRAFTING
Job crafting is about redesigning your role at work to make it
more engaging and meaningful, developed by Amy Wrzesniewski
from the Yale School of Management. Leaders can support
job crafting in the following 4 ways:
EMPOWERMENT Boost autonomy and support so people
can tailor jobs to suit their talents.
CAREER DISCUSSIONS Build development plans for how
to grow and evolve roles.
TEAM PURPOSE Communicate strategic goals so you can
connect each person’s work to team and company vision.
ROLES Hold job crafting “swap meets” to distribute teams
tasks according to people’s interests and skills.
EMPOWERMENT / 6
TRY THIS:
For a current or next project, define the fences for each person
on the project.
RESOURCES:
People Lab’s Goats Fences video
Amy Wrzesniewski video on job crafting (Re:Work)
Nordstrom LD class: Situational Leadership
17. The McKinsey Global Institute writes that we are facing an
unprecedented level of transition and disruption beyond
any the world has seen. When compared to the Industrial
Revolution, they cite future changes will hit ten times faster
and at 300 times the scale. In a world where rapid, disruptive
change is continual and sometimes overlapping, leaders today
need to be even more adept at leading people through change
so they can continue to perform at a high level.
Leaders must learn to recognize when change is straight-
forward and technical, versus when it is more adaptive and
requiresmanagingpeople’semotionalresistancetochange.21st
century leadership requires managing continual and
increasing change by acknowledging our internal resistance
to change, recognizing that people fear loss over change,
and understanding how to keep teams in a productive zone
of discomfort. Keeping teams in the zone of productive
discomfort encourages both growth and productivity
(Adaptive Leadership).
LEADING THROUGH
CHANGE GROWTH
“Effective leaders help others to understand the necessity
of change and to accept a common vision of the desired
outcome.” ~John Kotter, Leading Change
18. TECHNICAL VS. ADAPTIVE
CHALLENGES
The complex and dynamic nature of change today is often
more adaptive in nature than technical, requiring people
to work through ambiguity and experiment to discover
appropriate solutions. This requires addressing people’s
emotional needs during change and identifying where
changes might conflict with existing values and beliefs.
WORKING WITHIN CONSTRAINTS
When change happens there can be frustration and
disappointment with new constraints. In those situations
leaders need to reframe, refocus, and get creative.
1) REFRAME THE SITUATION. What are possible benefits?
Tailor this to the individual.
2) IDENTIFY WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL, and get creative
about how you can make improvements within your control.
3) MODEL ADAPTABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY. If dynamic and
adaptive change are the new norm, how do we mentally
reframe around a changing world?
4) REFOCUS ON THE WORK. Remind the team of its bigger
purpose, and each individual’s role in that. Try to set people
on engaging and motivating projects and talk about them.
CORE, EMERGING, LEGACY
While change is happening, there’s also a lot about the
work experience that is not changing. This can provide
comfort and help people mitigate their feelings of loss
and anxiety. When messaging change acknowledge that
people will be feeling a sense of loss, so make sure to
communicate the following 3 types of information:
ZONE OF PRODUCTIVE
DISCOMFORT (ZPD)
The goal with change is to keep people comfortable enough
that they are engaged in the work and productive. If there is
no discomfort, that may indicate that the team is stagnating in
a status quo condition and may not be evolving to meet future
needs. If there is too much change, it creates a feeling of chaos
and anxiety, which impacts people’s ability to do their work.
LEADING THROUGH CHANGE GROWTH / 7
TRY THIS:
1. Identify the technical and adaptive components of a change effort
the team is going through.
2. Identify what individual may feel they are “losing” through a change
effort, and discuss how to mitigate and manage their sense of loss.
RESOURCES:
Nordstrom LD class: Leading Change
LEGACY
What needs to be
left behind because
it no longer fits
CORE
NOT
changing
EMERGING
The context
of changing
and why
Clearly defined problems and
solutions that leverage existing
processes, practices, and
behaviors. This change is
more rational and can be led
through authority.
STATUS QUO CHAOSRATE OF CHANGE
Less defined problems requires
learning, experimentation, and
engaging stakeholders. New
approaches may challenge existing
processes, which requires addressing
the sense of loss and monitoring
the rate of change.
20. ‘‘What separates Nordstrom
from its competitors is its
army of highly motivated
self-empowered people who
have an entreprenurial spirit,
who feel that they’re in this
to better themselves and to
feel good about themselves,
to make more money and
to be successful.’’~Bruce Nordstrom