As we begin the third month of 2024, we start March by focusing on your business’s most valuable and important asset – the people. Unless you are a lights-out, 24-hour operation run by technology and robots, it takes the commitment and know-how of people to make your organization thrive.
It seems so easy to think about the people in your business being important, but if you ask them and they respond authentically, do they really feel valued? When was the last time you asked them for their input on a topic where they were the ones actually doing the work? Do you involve them appropriately in various business-building efforts, or is the direction and strategy only driven from the top down?
Talent inconsistencies challenge the marketplace. In some cycles, there appears to be a talent shortage. Other times, it is not a shortage of people but a lack of interest in being engaged in the workplace. As leaders, we can’t be discouraged by such events, but we need to make the people a key part of your organization’s culture.
Members of your team are looking to be part of something. Some are coming into the workplace seeking a sense of belonging to a family or team. With so much separation and judgment taking place outside the workplace, some seek the solitude of an environment where they can contribute without being singled out for one thing or another. They might not even realize what they are looking for but will know it when they find it.
In a recent conversation with a younger person, I inquired about what they were looking for in a career. I found it fascinating that they did not have a good idea of what having a career looked like. They thought it was about getting a job to collect a paycheck. There was a definite sense of trading time for money. No real thought about where their time investment would take them other than to the check-cashing location down the street from the business. Yet, in another conversation, another younger person not only had a plan for their future but also saw how their current work activity would help them get where they wanted to go.
Why such a disparity of view of work?
All I could contribute to was the environment/culture they were surrounded by. In one case, the business appeared to be in the employment numbers game. Lots of people doing lots of things but not necessarily any level of team comradery. The other person was in an organization where the leadership took the time and vested interest in growing the person not just for the short-term benefit of the business but for that person’s long-term existence in the business world.
This is not some fancy research effort, but in general observation of many businesses, it is definitely an employment differentiation when the employer views the people as a priority rather than a commodity. By making the culture/environment for the people a top priority, the people recognize it and contribute back to the business more completely. This stimulated a higher level of encouragement amongst work colleagues.
This week, take the time to do a self-evaluation of your organization’s commitment and prioritization of how your people actually are your most valuable asset. What can be done to make your people feel they are not just important but valued?
Interested in building a Culture where your team wants to contribute to the future success of the business? Give JKL Associates a call to discuss “Promise Culture” as the framework for a better future outcome for your team. Call us in Florida – (407) 984-7246 or Michigan (313) 527-7945
Journey On!
COPYRIGHT – JKL ASSOCIATES 2024
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS – EMAIL US AT PARTNERS@JKLASSOCIATES.COM OR CALL OUR OFFICES – MI AT (313) 527-7945 FL AT (407) 984-7246
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