| |
| |
|
Management Information |
|
|
|
How to Attract and Retain the Right People
If you're one of the many executives struggling with finding and keeping the right people to propel your business forward, you'll find these insights helpful. If you're frustrated by trying to motivate people, work instead to develop a company where people are self-motivated - where they do things because they want to. When we're inspired, we enjoy our work, we're productive, and we're proud of our efforts. We remain focused and committed to the task at hand. In short, we put forth out best effort. An organization will attract and retain a team of people dedicated to the success of the organization and its goals when it has a Purpose, a Mission, and a set of Values that it lives by, effectively communicates them throughout the organization, and measures its actions and decisions against them. Let's define what Purpose, Mission and Values are and talk about the implications of having them clearly defined and embodied in the organization. Purpose: Purpose is the "WHY" of the equation. Purpose defines why we do what we do. It defines why we go to work each day. Without purpose, people just go through the motions and as most of us know, there's a great difference between activity and achievement. Having a purpose creates a yardstick, so to speak, to measure our decisions against. It helps us become passionate, helps us to select among the many options presented to us, helps us make better hiring decisions, and keeps us on track. It's possible to succeed without a clear purpose, but having one speeds and magnifies the results. When a company has a clearly defined purpose it begins to act as a magnet, attracting the kind of people who will further the purpose; people who are like-minded. Not only will having a purpose retain the right people, but it will also act to attract them. This is the power behind the success of many not-for-profit organizations. Although they often are unable to pay their staff great sums of money, they continue to attract and retain people who are dedicated and who work hard to achieve the purpose of the organization. While your organization's purpose may not be as altruistic as a not-for-profit's purpose, it definitely plays an important, almost critical, role. How you develop a meaningful purpose? Involve people throughout the organization in order to develop and distill the essence of why your organization exists. Don't simply rely on the executive team to develop and then dictate the purpose to the group. And certainly don't rely on an outside company to create your purpose for you! It has been my experience that a well-defined statement of purpose is a single sentence, crafted to capture the essence of "why" the organization exists using as few words as possible and resonating when read or spoken. This brings clarity and energy to it, and makes it much easier to keep in mind when making decisions and policies. Mission: Mission is the "WHAT" of the equation. Mission defines what the company does to achieve its Purpose. The better defined a company's mission is, the easier it is to choose among the many opportunities that will present themselves. A mission - the means to achieve the Purpose - can be fairly narrow or be somewhat broad. However, one that is too narrow can unduly restrict an organization from considering opportunities that would otherwise be an excellent fit, and one that is too broad offers no guidance at all and may cause an organization to spread itself too thin, do a poor job at everything, and essentially dilute its effectiveness. How do you determine an appropriate mission? Again, remember to involve people throughout the organization to develop and distill the essence of what your organization is about. Don't simply rely on the executive level to develop and then dictate the mission to the group. Work to strike that balance between clarity and confinement - not too broad, yet not overly restrictive. Values: Values are the "HOW" of the equation. Values define how the Mission will be carried out in an effort to achieve the Purpose. They define the "rules of the game". Some of these values will come to mind quite easily, things like honesty, courtesy, kindness, and ethics. But some other important values will only surface when brainstorming takes place - when different perspectives and voices are heard. Values like authenticity and vulnerability may be placed on the table for consideration. (Which, by the way, are two essential qualities of an exceptional leader.) It doesn't matter which values are decided upon as being important to the company. What is important however, is that whatever they are, everyone in the company lives by and supports them. It's important that the policies and decisions of the company are in alignment with them. If the company has an acknowledged list of values it purports to live by and then chooses to ignore them, the list becomes a sore point and acts as a negative reflection of what kind of organization you really lead. When a company has clearly defined its Purpose, Mission, and Values, then all decisions, policies, and actions will have a measuring stick to keep them on course and you will have an organization which attracts and keeps the best! You'll create an organizational culture which naturally acts as a magnet to attract and retain like-minded people. And you'll also have the framework to interview about the things that matter most to you and your organization. No longer will people be hired based solely on technical abilities or simply to fill seats. Exceptional leadership inspires the best effort in others! Written by Michael Beck, President of Exceptional Leadership, Inc., a leadership development and executive coaching firm dedicated to creating exceptional leadership for higher profits and greater job satisfaction. Michael can be reached at 877-977-8956 or mbeck@XLeaders.com, and you can learn more about the company and these ideas at http://www.XLeaders.com Permission to reprint with full attribution. Copyright 2004, Exceptional Leadership, Inc.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Stop Waste, Fraud and Abuse Each year, businesses write-off six percent of revenue to waste, fraud and abuse. But why would managers throw all that hard-earned money away when there is a reliable way to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse using accounting policies & procedures to create internal controls. How to Reject a Job Applicant A Nightmare That Really HappenedOver 10 years ago, when I worked as a manager at a major corporation, I received a call from a headhunter about a magnificent job opening. It sounded like the perfect job for me. Increase In-House Nursing Homes Collections The following nursing home collections report outlines 11 guidelines you can follow to increase the amount of in-house long term care collections your facility collects.1] Have A Defined Long Term Care Collection PolicyOne of the major causes of delinquent nursing home receivables is that the facility has not clearly defined to its residents/responsible parties and business office staff when the accounts are to be paid. Change and Performance - Training May Not Be The Answer Introducing new products or services, bringing new people on board, developing a new process or procedure, installing new equipment, change seems to be the one constant in business today and change always seems to drive a need for training.In conducting training needs analysis at any level, we need to understand that training may not be the solution, at least not the whole solution. Setting Direction Within an Organization FINDING DIRECTION: An organization can't succeed without direction. Direction means having clear goals and guidelines; set goals and guidelines for staff to follow. Are You Using the Right Form of Energy? As we near the end of summer, here is a question I have for you, "Are you using the right form of energy to grow your business?" Are you having trouble growing your small business as fast as you want? Are you making all the right moves and still the business just inches forward? Read this article and see if you are using the right form of energy to grow your small business?Head EnergyMy consulting experiences have taught me there are two types of business energy. I call the first type "head energy". Five Principles of Effective Communication The problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred. George Bernard ShawI'm sure this has happened to you: a colleague has just done the exact opposite of what you wanted him to do. Leaning Toward Change Seduced by the publicity surrounding the impact of Lean on organizations, it's no surprise that people new to Lean, upon hearing or reading such information, are anxious to implement a continuous improvement initiative in their organizations.What has received little publicity, however, and often frustrates Lean implementation, are the employees on whom Lean is often inflicted, albeit unwittingly. Focus On the Prize People talk to me about making personal and professional changes in their life. I hear comments about how hard they think it will be, concerns about their ability to be successful, pressure on themselves to produce results, etc. What Every Manager Should Know About How to Reduce the High Cost of Employee Absenteeism Employers pay a high price for absenteeism, often more than they may realize, in terms of both financial and production losses and employee morale. Managers may view the tasks of finding a substitute employee as a short-term inconvenience; however, absenteeism frequently has more serious long-term effects. 5 Awesome Actions of Highly Creative Leaders! How many times have you wondered why you are unable to "think-out-of-the-box" more often?We are all products of our environment and our backgrounds usually prevent us from viewing situations with the unique eyes of our personal experience.However, the leaders who think "out-of-the-proverbial-box" do so by incorporating what I like to see as a, Strategically Wise Synergistic Process of Creation. Give Yourself a Boss' Day Gift Become a better boss and reap the benefitsAnother interesting study was done. One that should really catch our attention. Leadership Skill: How to Handle Difficult Conversations A good leader has the ability to empower others. It is important that a leader develop people who want to share and help in carrying out the goals of the organization. Increasing Employee Retention Through Employee Engagement You've seen it happen many times. An organization that provides top wages and benefits loses a great employee to a competitor for no apparent reason. Weaknesses of Wishing When you're starting a business, you might wish for a lot of things, like having more than enough customers or not having to do marketing. But wishing is weak willed, having no momentum behind it. The Truth? The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple. Oscar Wilde The truth. How to Say No Rejection hurts. No one likes to give it or to receive it. Sexual Harassment Policy Guidelines Part I Sexual Harassment Policy Guidelines - Part IPermission is hereby granted to modify and use the information in this draft sexual harassment guideline, provided you include reference to the author as shown at the end.We shall take all reasonable steps to see that this sexual harassment policy is followed everyone in our organization who has contact with employees. Bosses Are Out - Managers As Coaches Are In There is a new trend taking hold in business today which translates into amazing productivity, results, and a happier workforce. It's easy, positive, and some say transformative; best of all, it's something you and every other individual charged with the responsibility for getting results through others can learn to do. Follow Up: It Makes A Difference A while back the headlight switch on our minivan quit working, so early one Saturday morning we took it to the neighborhood repair shop that has been mailing postcards to us the past three years. They said it would take 90 minutes to check things out.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
