The Situation
With over 40,000 stores, 7-Eleven is the largest convenience store retailer in the world. The company’s corporate culture follows the practice of Servant Leadership, a philosophy based on the idea that in order to be successful, leaders must put the needs of others first. In 2011, 7-Eleven came to RSW for help in communicating this philosophy to their workforce.
“The rollout has been overwhelmingly positive. The work RSW has done has been integral in helping us tell our story.” — Lachelle Ashworth, 7-Eleven.
The Solution
RSW began by refining the company values and behaviors in order to align them with the Servant Leadership model. Over 130 behaviors were streamlined down to 30, and seven easy-to-understand core values were drafted.
Once the messaging was agreed upon, RSW developed a launch plan in order to educate stakeholders and build excitement. A new tagline, “Serve. Lead. Do what’s right.” captured the essence of the philosophy.
A key component of the rollout was an internal video that told the 7-Eleven Servant Leadership story. Additional communications were developed to speak to different audiences, including store employees, franchisees, field reps and corporate. Additionally, a recognition program was used to spotlight employees for living the values of Servant Leadership and reinforcing this corporate culture.
The Results
After a successful test launch in 2011, the program was launched globally in 2012.
