Follow Up Post on Education

A few days ago I posted a video on this site regarding the flattening of our world and how our education system is doing with keeping up with the exponential times we live in. I felt this video would also give some additional, good perspective to part of our education dilemma.

What Does it All Mean?

In a rapidly changing world, we must remember that we should be changing ourselves by staying educated, sharpening our saw, shaping the change in our respective environments and helping to bring about a better tomorrow in the midst of all the change. In light of that, I thought this video presentation shows perfectly the need we have to change with the changing times.

Having now seen that, let us remember to adapt to the changing world but never to change our principles, our values and those things that should help shape the change for a better tomorrow.

What You Give

With the exception of those few lucky breaks in life, what you give will in large part determine what you get.  Our education, athletic capabilities, musical talents, and careers all tell us this same thing. What you put in will be returned to you. 

Today I was speaking with a good friend and we were both commenting on how we would like to play the guitar better - like a real virtuoso. A thought came to my mind, "You will never be that good unless you put in the practice and have a skilled mentor to train you." 

How many Corporate Executives say the same thing regarding their companies - that their company will be a real virtuoso in its field? Here are some examples:

Coca Cola's Vision Statement:

To achieve sustainable growth, we have established a vision with clear goals.

Profit: Maximizing return to shareowners while being mindful of our overall responsibilities.
People: Being a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be.
Portfolio: Bringing to the world a portfolio of beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy peoples' desires and needs.
Partners: Nurturing a winning network of partners and building mutual loyalty.
Planet: Being a responsible global citizen that makes a difference.

GM's Vision Statement

"GM’s vision is to be the world leader in transportation products and related services. We will earn our customers’ enthusiasm through continuous improvement driven by the integrity, teamwork, and innovation of GM people."

Your company probably has something similar to this - "To be the Market Leader..." These vision statements are great but if you don't put anything into them, you will be just like my friend and I with our vision to play the guitar like a virtuoso - or rather, you will be just like GM - on the verge of bankruptcy. 

The people at your organization are the key to its very success. You may have great workflow software, an incredible vision, lots of money and even casual Fridays, but if you don't have a culture that puts your people first and helps them to truly succeed, they won't put you first either. If you don't add the value to their careers and their very selves as human beings, you cannot expect them to deliver everything they have to you. They may give you some good work, but they won't give you what only they can. They won't give you their all, their passion, their love for their work and therefore the best they have to give. You can't take their best, it can only be given. 

Try to take it, and you will fail. Truly serve them and you won't even need to ask for their commitment and their best - you will already have it. It was the Master who said, "For with what measure ye meet it shall be meted unto you again, packed down and overflowing." Give all you have to them, and let them know you are sincere and you will see it come back 100 fold. 

Your Home Away From Home

So, have you ever wondered why work feels a little bit like a home away from home? It is because it is. Your colleagues are your neighbors, your houses are your offices or cubes, the village green is the cafeteria and the police station is human resources. The president is the mayor and there are lots of cousins and people as close as family.

And just like in any community, there are people selling their products. Each of us are like our own companies - supplying our own specialized services to the community. And what is the community? It once was the town, now it is a "town" within a town.

The town has employed the baker, butcher and brewer because it values their services. It likes those services so much that all of the sudden the baker, butcher and brewer need help. The baker needs someone to take orders because he has so many orders to fill that he has to spend all of his time baking. Soon, because there is someone there full time taking orders, he has more orders than he has the capacity to fill. He needs an apprentice - and so the business grows. Along the way the baker is forced to raise the prices on his products because of his additional overhead. Just as the town hired him, he has hired them. Over time, as the town wants more and more of his products, he will have multiple bakers, apprentices, book keepers, store clerks and purchasers - and someone to hire them all (Human Resources) and make sure they treat each other well.

Does the town employ the bookkeepers? Does the town employ the clerks? No, they don't. If they did, they could fire them, right? Who employs them then? The town within the town. The baker has created his own little community - a company.

Those same principles of why the baker exists are why we, in our specialized positions, exist. The community ultimately buys the company's products and really is only interested in them. My community (that is, the company) is interested in my services - helping that company be better capable of supplying its products to the community - whatever that community is. For that reason, it is so important for businesses to recognize that there is a truly human need to make our businesses feel like a community.

Just as my town has city services of water, sewer and lights, so does my business. They provide water, bathrooms and electricity - just as my town does.

My town also provides parades, firework shows and public safety. So does my company - we do company picnics, parties and we have a security guard.

My community has a flag - something that identifies us as One. My company has a logo identifying us as a group of individuals united in a cause.

My community has laws. My company has policies.

Companies are like towns, towns are like small states, states are like small nations - all providing opportunities to sell products & services that people want and providing the basic infrastructure to make that happen.

I am my own "baker," except what I do the town wouldn't buy, but the baker would. The baker needs me and my services.

Just the same as the citizens of a town can go to another baker, my company can go to another HR person. It is my job to ensure that the company, a.k.a., my community, has the best HR services available. Why? You will have to read the previous post.

So, have you ever wondered why work feels a little bit like a home away from home? It is because it is. I hope your home away from home is a good one.

Ken Coman

Why do Companies Exist?

Do companies exist to make products? Do companies exist to make profits? Do companies exist to do well in the world? What is the fundamental reason why companies exist and therefore why we work?

If a person goes to the very basic 'companies' - sole proprietorships, we can ask some questions and perhaps extrapolate from those answers the fundamental reason why we do what we do.

Why does the butcher, the brewer and the baker cut meat, bake bread and brew beer? Do they do it to provide exceptionally cut meat, the best tasting bread or the best tasting beer? Do they do it because they like to do it? Do they do it because people need meat, beer and bread?

Let’s answer the questions one at a time.

Do they do it for the intrinsic value of providing exceptionally cut meat, the best tasting bread or the best tasting beer?

Is it possible that the butcher, the brewer or the baker awoke one morning after a lifetime of farming on the land to the thought, “I am going to be the best butcher, brewer or bread maker alive. That is really what I love doing and I don’t care if I die doing it!” I think that is highly unlikely.

Or, did the decision to bake, brew and butcher meat come from the evolution of society when in a certain village of farmers a certain man had a natural talent that turned into a skill to bake, brew or butcher so well that people really liked their bread, beer and beef so much that they preferred it above everyone else’s?

From the baker, butcher or brewer’s perspective, providing bread, beer or cut beef for their own families would not be a hassle, but providing them for the whole community would be. Even so, the community liked their bread, beer and meat cuts so much that they eventually, to compensate them for the extra time it took to make these products for them and to induce them to do the extra work for them, began to offer something in return for the bread, beer or meet. Could it be that they first traded things that had different value to the different people? For example, they offered a pair of trousers to the baker, a candle to the brewer and a shiny stone to the butcher? They like their new items so much that they offered to provide the respective bread, beer and cut meet for more of them – the only problem is, you can’t eat trousers, candles or stones. You also can’t bake, brew or butcher them.

Following this possible scenario along, the village people liked these products so much that they were willing to support them in their specialization by providing the ingredients for them – as long as they got some of the desired product.

There is a slight problem though if the baker wants beer and all he has to trade with is bread and trousers while the brewer only wants candles (his wife made good enough bread). It is therefore possible that soon after skill specialization that a common medium of trade had to be agreed upon – something that all the people in the village valued and would accept as a medium of exchange. This medium would represent buying power.

Now, what if another baker opened shop in our village?

First, we have to ask why another person would even begin to sell bread if someone else already is. The answer is because they see some benefit in it for them. They see either more buying power in that or perhaps a better way of life for them. Baking bread all day, although it is tough, may be more appealing than tilling the ground and caring for animals. Baker #2 also sees that his talent can make him some of this new medium of exchange. This baker is innovative though; he added cinnamon to his buns. With this new development there is all of the sudden competition. They are all competing for the same “customers.” Baker number one is losing customers and baker number 2 is gaining them.

It is in that state that the baker wakes up and says, “I have to do something or else I am not going to be able to xyz (buy food, buy my wife that new scarf, provide meal for my animals, etc)! How am I going to sell my bread again? I know! I will provide my customers with better bread than baker #2! It will be the best bread in the whole village! Surely they will come back to my bread”

Baker number one then adds cinnamon AND sugar to his bread and starts to add additional benefits to customers for buying it such as a “So nice to see you today Mr. so and so. I sure do hope you come back soon. Thank you for buying my bread” and so on.

Why does he choose to make these improvements? Is it because he likes bread? Not necessarily; he wants to make the village’s best bread because if he doesn’t, not enough people will buy his bread to support his life style or physical needs to remain alive or maintain his level of temporal happiness. He also will not have enough buying power to provide for himself and others dependent on him any longer.

So, based on this quick response to that first question, do they do it for the intrinsic value of providing exceptionally cut meat, the best tasting bread or the best tasting beer? I don’t think so.

Our second question was, “do they do it because they like to do it?”

Do they do it because they like to do it? That is a great question. I am forced to ask this follow up question, why do we like doing what we do? Let’s just take sports. There are many people that like sports – many, many people. I am not one of them. Why don’t I like them? I don’t like them because I am not good at them. I am not even good at watching sports so I don’t like that either. Millions of people do like them though – why? I presume it is because they are good at sports and receive that positive reinforcement both from without and from within that comes from playing them. When we do something right (i.e., win the game, play the right move, make a loaf of bread that is the perfect taste and density, etc.), people tell us so and we tell ourselves too. We feel good – and we like it.

This reinforces whatever we are “good at” and we do it more. We like it as much as we do not just because we are good at it but because people reinforce it for us. When they ask us to be on their team it makes us feel good. When the crowds go wild as we make that tie breaking game winning score we like it so much we go crazy. When people like our bread and say, “My, that is the best bread I have ever had. Do you have the recipe?” We feel good. We all of the sudden like making bread more than we did before.

As a person becomes a better ball player they are known among their family, friends, peers, and the community as a great ball player. It becomes a part of their identity – it may even be their identity depending on how much playing ball consumes their time.

The same goes for the baker – he becomes known as the man who can make bread better than others. He becomes known among his friends and family and community as the baker. Not only can he make bread but he can make sweet bread, cinnamon rolls, pies and great birthday cakes. The whole town comes to him for their special occasions to make sure they have the right food. He does it because they tell him what a good job he does. Everyone knows him as a great baker. He becomes part of everyone’s family in a way.

Lets not forget though that the baker does still need to get some intrinsic value and like it just for the sake of liking it – irrespective of the outside. How can he get this intrinsic value? It is by his own adding of value to his own creation. It is by taking that bread and by making it better, and better and better. It is by making sure that it really is his best. It is the constant quest to get it to perfection but secretly hoping that it never makes it.

It’s when perfection is reached and sustained that a person stops liking what they do. But that is a whole other subject…

So, does the baker cook his bread before he likes it? Yes and no. He cooks it because of the reinforcement he gets each time he cooks it and he likes that.

He doesn’t like it just because he likes it, he also likes it because everyone else likes it too – and that is what he likes about it so much – that is why he continues to cook bread and sell it.

Finally, do they do it because people need meat, beer and bread?

Does the village buy or trade for it because they need it? Well, they can cook their own bread, do without beer, and hunt/cut their own meet. But they don’t want to. Why? For a myriad of reasons but need isn’t the only one. Some buy the bread because they like it – not because they need that bread.

People survived for a long time without their bread, beer or cut meet. So in the very primary sense, the sense of survival, they don’t need the bread, beer or meet. However, the people buying their products feel that they need it – for whatever reason. They “need” it for a birthday party, they need it to “drink their sorrows away” or they need it to have a family BBQ. They want it – so, in their minds the need it – and filling this need will advance them in their own personal goals – which we can assume are good because of the nature of man.

We can make the assumption however that they would only make enough bread, beer and cut meet as there are people to buy or trade for it. If they had no buyers they wouldn’t make their product.

So, do they make it only because people need it? Well, they make it - or as much of it as they do – because there is someone there to buy or trade for it. If there weren’t, there would be no bakers, brewers or butchers, right?

Not entirely.

There is something great in human nature – something that provides a service to others with the expectation of nothing in return. Let me explain.

While in Brazil, I saw something amazing. One skill, not that of a baker, brewer or butcher, became one that was needed but not compensated for. It was the skill of teaching. The teachers in a town where I lived had not been paid, that is to say compensated for the trade of their skills, for over 18 months. They worked diligently. They even went on strike in an effort to get the city to pay their wages. However, the city answered simply by saying, “We have no money to pay you.” And the teachers went back to work. Why? Because kids need an education and these people cared about their fellowman to such a degree that they were willing to give, with nothing – except gratitude and satisfaction – in return. So, they did it because there was a need – a true need – for it.

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, we can understand why, in this scenario businesses exist. They exist because they have a talent that they develop into a skill that others are willing to trade for. In trading, the skill holder earns collateral that is desirable for the person’s needs and wants. He improves his skill due to competition and to ensure that he is able to meet his personal and family needs. He uses skills not only as a means to an end but as a means in and of itself. They like it because others do and they like it because it provides a personal sense of fulfillment. Finally, they do it because there is a need for it. People need them to do what they do and therefore they need them – even if they can’t pay them for it. They do it because they are good and can do good for others.

The growth of society, the comfort of society, the advancement of society and the good of the human race depends on business and the people that make it work.

What does that mean for us? To do (which assumes there is a market & need for it) what we love most – because that is probably where we are able to make the greatest contribution because that is what we do best – and to do the best we can at it for the good of mankind and society.

It also means that large corporations, those that extend beyond the village must, in order to fill the purpose of their existence reach out and become a part of the community, do things out of the good of their hearts wherever they operate, do the best they can, and provide needed services. Why? For the good of society and the advancement of the race and to show that their existence is warranted and human.

It Just Takes One...

It just takes one person to change a culture. Could it be so simple? It not only can be - but it is.

Think of it this way, how does one "difficult personality" affect the culture of your workplace? What if they are your boss? If so, they effect it even more. Each one of us has an impact on the whole world. I believe that we are creatures of energy and light. It reminds me of the truth in the humerous phrase:

"Everyone brings a light into your life. Some when they come into it and others when they leave it."

Although it is humerous, it is true. Driving change for a positive culture is as easy as being good, showing respect, holding your tongue, saying thank you and telling someone "hello" in the morning.

The more the needed change, the more the need to have people with the desired culture in positions of influence to make that change. You can have excellent coworkers but a terrible boss. The coworkers can't compensate for the boss; hence the need for a Human Resources team that recruits not just on competencies but also on values. This also will show the need to have a Human Resources team who lives the values you desire for your culture.

Does it all start with the CEO? No, it doesn't. It starts with you and may your influence be strong enough to reach to the top and touch the CEO with new possibilities - with a better way.

It just takes one. Will you be the one it takes?

Finding the Right Match

In my experience, finding the right match is a combination of skills and value alignment. We erroneously spend most of the interview and recruiting process trying to find the right skill set and not enough time trying to find the right value set.

Values are a critical piece of the right employee. Most of the people I have had to be a part of letting go are people whose values didn’t align with ours – not their skill set. They could do the job but either they didn’t (didn’t possess the value of hard work), or did something else that detracted from their work (dishonesty, harassment, etc.).

No matter how good the work product, if their values don’t align with the company's, the net product is a bad product. How so? How is it that a wonderful seller who exceeds their numbers every month can actually destroy a department or company? If they hit their numbers but simultaneously cause a decrease in productivity in their co-workers, the net result is all the numbers are lower. Also, if their integrity is low, the service side of the business will spend the next year trying to fix the lies they told your new customer just so they could get their sale. Imagine a manager who is great technically but can't treat his staff with respect - the net result is higher turnover, lower productivity and a staff who may hide things from their boss in order to not be treated poorly. These are just three examples of a very real problem.

Value alignment must become a more critical piece of the recruiting process. It also must become a central piece of the business. If the business is to succeed, then recruit people with your company’s values and then live by them.

The Missing Corporate Value

For those who have worked with me you know it is my opinion that Values are the most important piece of any business. From my perspective (my perspective being the purpose of life is in large part the moral growth of an individual as well as the love they develop for their fellowman), it is my opinion that more importantly than what we do as businesses is how we did it. This is something that Wall Street would strongly debate but it is something worth debating.

Besides the moral perspective of values, businesses need values in order to guide them in their decisions and to create a foundation upon which they build their business into what they have envisioned it to be. Values are critical for long term financial success. Some of the values that you will find in many companies are, and should be, integrity, hard work, respect, innovation, and customer service. I love these values and feel that they are critical.

However, it is my opinion that there is one value that is always missing - at least I have never seen it written and framed along side the other values. Its absence is the very evidence of its necessity. The presence and support of this value would make all other values possible and lived at all levels and much more of the time. The value that I recommend to you and your company is the value of Humility.

Humility is anything but weak. It is the strength to admit wrong, the strength to admit right, the strength to grow, the strength to listen, the strength to communicate, the strength to change and the strength to work together rather than alone. It is the strength behind all of the values - the absence of which fundamentally weakens them.

Can you see how this would help the value of communication for a senior management team that doesn't want to share with their employees their failings? Can you also see how this would strengthen communication with a management team who in the past has thought their ideas superior to those of their employees? Can you see how this would strengthen the value of innovation by managers accepting the fact that those who work for them may have great ideas that would benefit the business but that they never thought of? Can you see how this would strengthen the value of respect by encouraging coworkers to admit wrong doing and to encourage forgiveness?

I think you get my point. Pride is something within all of us and it is my belief that pride, which helps us climb the corporate ladder for a time, will eventually work against us. Humility is the way forward. Humility is the Corporate Value needed but ignored, because after all, that would require we admit we were wrong - about a lot of things. Pride is fundamentally the weakness of mankind, and therefore our downfall. It would follow then that humility is the true measure of a man's strength and also of our companies. The bigger the pride, the harder the fall.

Yes, its absence is the very evidence of its necessity. This value could do a lot of good for a lot of people.

Recognition v. Reward v. Motivation

From my last posting, I have heard some feedback regarding the sometimes gray line between recognition and rewards. These two words are almost always included in the same breath when talking about one or the other with a Human Resources professional. It is my belief that they are two different things.

What is the difference between recognition and reward?

A reward is something that someone works toward with that something being the principle object of their work. It is also in possession of someone else and it is their honor, as one having something the other does not, to bestow it.

Recognition on the other hand is something that we don't necessarily work for, but that without we lose the desire to work. It is also something that in a way we are all in possession of – not just the manager, although a manager is one of the most important people to give it. Recognition recognizes the equality of humanity whereas rewards have the aura of elevation.

Additionally, rewards are instituted for the purpose of enticing one to act – to create within a person motivation. Recognition is ever existent, although at times dormant, within mankind. The use of this wonderful tool is that it awakens the already existent motivation for higher, more noble purposes than simply the reward. It guides a person in their quest for excellence. Rewards guide a person in their quest for rewards.

Motivation

While sitting in a meeting today I had a thought about motivation. While in college I learned about Maslow, McGregor, Herzberg and others who shared their theories on motivation. For years now I have held personally to the idea that management actually doesn't have any real power to motivate their staff through incentives and that true motivation is a personal choice – a choice that lasts through time and trial. Gold stars, gift cards, cash and rewards will only work for those kinds of tasks money can buy.

The idea behind these kinds of “incentives” is that the people working don't presently have those items but that they want them and that if they want them badly enough they will complete the task to achieve the prize (It is common but incorrect to believe that rational, morally centered beings would respond to such things the same way that a rat would to cheese in a maze. Nevertheless, that is how so many view their staff).

Anyway, as I was sitting in this meeting I heard some ideas on how to “incentivize” staff and as I listened I thought, "If this stuff really is the key behind motivation, then God must be the most unmotivated being in the universe." Why? Because God has everything and if motivation is caused by essentially materialistic motives then there is nothing left for Him to desire.

Well, the idea is ridiculous isn't it? Certainly. God is arguably the most motivated being in the universe and it isn't out of the desire for more of anything – but something much more intrinsic, something incredibly altruistic – He is motivated by a desire for us and for the good in us to sprout, blossom, grow and bear fruit that we might be happy and enjoy those same things that He does. He is motivated through time and trial, set back and disappointment on both the scale of each individual child and on the grander scale of the entire human race. But yet He presses on and finds joy in His work.

I am convinced that there is something of the divine in each of us and tapping into that unleashes the power of motivation. The divine within us finds itself in the power of creation, stewardship and the bearing of fruit. Each job can find this within it.

Yes, gold stars, gift cards, cash and rewards will work – but will only work for those kinds of tasks money can buy. Money can only buy task completion but mankind needs something much more though from us than task completion. It cannot buy the divine within us – nor does it even knock on the true door of creation.

The more money is used to buy people and our motivation, the weaker will be our intellectual contribution and the less competitive will be our products. Motivation is individual. Motivation is a choice. Motivation is creation. And creation is divine.

True Retention

This is an article that is being published in a journal called "HR Views." I thought for those interested in improving their retention at work this article would be helpful.

Over the years I have attended several training sessions, read books and listened to what others are doing to help in their retention efforts. I have heard all sorts of creative approaches such as higher salaries, morale dollars, “culture cops,” short term incentives, free popcorn and bus passes. I don’t have all the answers but I am certain these types of things are not what make me work, management work or any other normal person.

I propose if we think about what really makes us tick we will be able to find the retention plans that would retain us and therefore help in retaining others as well. Walter Lippmann stated the power of introspection best when he said, “We forge gradually our greatest instrument for understanding the world—introspection. We discover that humanity may resemble us very considerably—that the best way of knowing the inwardness of our neighbors is to know ourselves.”

So, what is it that makes me tick and that I suspect makes others tick as well: rewarding and fulfilling work, growth, freedom, recognition, relationships, and an environment of mutual respect. What is it I need to make these things work for me? Essentially, I need to have my basic needs satisfied through a competitive compensation package that represents my skill set in the market and company and relative security.

Let’s take each one of those points and determine how to build a truly rewarding place to work that can therefore, with ease, retain its employees.

Rewarding and Fulfilling Work & Growth

Work is not just the task (i.e., stuffing tacos, counting numbers, assembling things, etc.), but it is also the non-task related functions such as working with a good team, making intellectual contributions and other things such as this. For the sake of this section on work, I am referring to the task part of work. So, what is it that makes “work” meaningful and fulfilling? In my opinion, there are two things: the satisfaction and pride we take in and derive from our work, and the personal growth the work provides us.

People who are driven by a personal sense of excellence and quality are more likely to find their work rewarding because they have a feeling of satisfaction within themselves about their work product. Regardless of the task, someone who strives to do it well finds a level of fulfillment in it when it is completed. People who don’t have this, I argue, are going to be very difficult to retain – regardless of the free popcorn and bus passes. Furthermore, if they don’t have a personal sense of quality in their work, these aren’t the kinds of people you generally want in your organization anyway.

Finally, the work we do is often most rewarding when it is challenging to us and provides growth opportunities – for the sake of challenge and growth – not just titles. The titles and hierarchy will come naturally in an environment of respect to someone who is climbing the ladder of personal growth and development for mostly intrinsic reasons. When HR has not provided clear guidance on growth and career paths they have failed at one of their most important functions. The best and the brightest can add extremely high levels of value but if they cannot do what they know they can and go where they need to go, they will soon grow dissatisfied and will most likely look for a more promising opportunity elsewhere. The ladder when placed against the wall of hierarchy is sufficient to retain someone only inasmuch as the company can offer those titles. Rewarding and fulfilling work is a function of the person and the company they work for. A company should seek to find ways for employees to find pride and personal growth in their work.

Jean de La Fontaine said, “By the work, one knows the workman.” If the workman is truly engaged in his work, the product will show it. Finding ways to help this to happen is not only integral in retention, it is integral to the very purpose our organizations exist.

Freedom

There is something so natural about the desire to choose one’s own course I would suggest it is found in nearly every child of all cultures. It is only after culture and education have their effect on the growing mind that we learn to leave that love of freedom behind.

People can act in only varying degrees of freedom. Some people, when given too much freedom, fail miserably with that accountability to self only. Others succeed best when given the freedom to direct their own work and paths. Regardless of who we are or where we fall on the spectrum, there is a balance within us of how much autonomy and freedom we need vs. how much direction and guidance we need. Freedom is relative to the individual and therefore you must have a management team which is aware of the need to be flexible and has the skill set to be flexible in their level of oversight.

René Descartes stated, “I think, therefore I am.” The ability to think for ones self – to choose and to act – is the fundamental of existence. When a company seeks to control its staff excessively, the quality of work declines and turnover rates rise as workers become increasingly dissatisfied. True individuals will leave while less-inspired workers remain. Give all employees the level of freedom they are comfortable abiding by with the full expectation to give more and more freedom as they perform in line with the trust given them.

Recognition

Recognition is an end result of a company that truly respects and therefore appreciates its employees. All of us need to hear from time to time statements that validate our already formed opinions about our work. Such statements come in several forms such as: (a) words including compliments and public recognition for contributions. Give credit where credit is due – always, (b) some type of profit sharing. Success is not the result of a senior management team. It is also not the result of the workers. It is the result of all employees working together for the success of the idea, plan, model & product. All have worked together and deserve the recognition, (c) promotions, (d) growth opportunities, and (d) a fair and equitable compensation package.

A culture of recognition is a culture which will provide fertile ground for continued motivation and retention.

Relationships

The Smiths wrote a song with lyrics that really illustrate this point well. The song was “I’m Miserable Now.” The lyrics go like this: “I was looking for a job, and then I found a job and heaven knows I'm miserable now. In my life why do I give valuable time to people who don't care if I live or die?”

Wow, how is that for a statement on work? If we work with people and we feel they don’t care whether we live or die of course we would be miserable. However, people do care. By our very nature we care – we are people first and employees second. When I think about what it is that makes work rewarding for me, I must honestly say one of the key factors is the positive relationships I have with many of my co-workers. Companies should not discourage people from talking, going out to lunch, or spending time in someone’s office just shooting the breeze. These seemingly unproductive moments are much more important to an organization than most would think and will be a type of glue which will hold your employees together and to the company. Who wants to leave friends? Who wants to bail on a team that really cares about them as a person? Who wants to ditch their friends and leave them in a bind? A friend wouldn’t. Foster friendships and don’t discourage them.

An Environment of Mutual Respect

Essentially everything I have mentioned in this paper comes to respect. My favorite definition of respect comes from Kant, “So act as to treat humanity, whether in thine own person or in that of any other, in every case as an end withal, never as a means only.” We should not treat people as a means to an end – but rather an end unto themselves. They have come to work for ABC, Inc. to not only add those skills which do have value but also those things which are uniquely theirs – their mind, their heart and their talents.

In addition to what I have already covered, respect also includes having a culture of accountability. It is disrespectful to punish one employee and then do nothing to another employee committing the same offense simply because “we can’t afford to lose him.” Rather, the attitude should be “we can’t afford to compromise everyone else by neglecting our value of respect.” Failing to discipline staff, not letting people go or failing to find better suited positions for individuals shows a lack of respect to them as well as others within the organization.

Your key people usually are motivated by real things of substance – things I have already mentioned. All of the normal retention tactics – long term “incentives,” short term “incentives,” recognition and rewards, bonuses, heck even pet insurance – all are generally used to get people to do something. However, these tools of motivation don’t work at unlocking potential and they don’t help at retaining your top performers. These “incentives” take the approach that people – including your top performers - are motivated extrinsically - by money. “Golden handcuffs” however resemble a tool of the jailer more than they do a key to unlock potential. Carrots and gold stars are fundamentally disrespectful – the same tools can be used however with different motives to truly honor and respect employees. The fundamental problem with typical retention and recognition programs is they use people as a means to an end rather than recognize the truly human in each of them.

When we treat people with true respect, this is motivation enough by stirring within them all that is fine and good – such treatment will really unlock their full potential.

Conclusion

Retention begins long before an employee is dissatisfied. It begins with knowing what it is that makes people tick and then having the people in place who are able to make those things happen. A management team that believes employees are extrinsically motivated and “FTEs” rather than people will never be able to create the environment that is central to not only retention but to becoming a truly innovative and successful company.

Retention also begins before you hire people – you have to seek people who are truly intrinsically motivated by the work and are properly placed in the right job with the right type of manager. They also must be in tune with the emotions of others and able to respect themselves and others. Retention is about the people.

A company that is attuned to the needs of their employees and is there to support them will succeed. Such a management team that allows its people to find rewarding and fulfilling work, have the freedom to choose and grow, be recognized for their contributions, find growth opportunities, make positive relationships and work in an environment of mutual respect will truly be serving the shareholders, owners and the staff and will have the greatest chance of success and longevity. In my opinion, surely this is the key for a company to turn from good to something special and great.

Competitors can easily copy your compensation system, they can copy your benefits package, they can copy your rewards and recognition program – but they can’t just copy and paste your culture of respect. Respect - this is the key to retention.

Resenting My Job Title...

Several years ago my mentor and friend Pat Freston told me, "Never worry about the title." I have often taken that advice to heart but I am not resenting my level of title, but the very nature of my title which contains the words "Human Resources." Those of you who know me probably understand my deep love for humanity and the inherent value and rights contained in each and every one of us. For this reason, I resent that title: Human Resources. It implies that people are some kind of resource for a business to use such a natural resource, tool or piece of equipment. Some companies and even people within my profession have the audacity to call it "Human Capital Management."

Mankind is not a resource for someone else's gain and an employer should never look at the people that have chosen to work for them as such. We should be looked at as fellow humans, brothers and sisters in the human race with Divine parentage. Too many employers look at their people as just another resource they purchase and attempt to do so at the lowest possible cost - just the same as they would any other "resource" such as a part, computer chip, software code, metal, plastic, fabric or dirt. I refuse to agree with that mentality however and consider it base and inhumane.

When viewing the people that have chosen to work with you it is critical to remember that the way we view each other will determine how we treat each other. When we view one another as brothers and sisters we will be likely to treat them as much more than "human resources."

Don't get me wrong, I love my job and have a passion for what I do - but it is because I don't view my job as Human Resources - I view it as "Resources for Humans and Humanity." God be thanked for the individual dignity and unalienable rights he gave us as His children.