In our recent study by far the number one challenge of the CEO’s we spoke with was finding and keeping great people. Most of them said that the recession did allow them to cut some “dead wood”, but that they also had to work at keeping their best people.
Of the companies that were doing the best, we found that they had one major thing in common. They had everyone in the business involved in creating and executing the vision of the company. It wasn’t a top down mentality. It was circular – it came from everyone.
This made a huge difference in the way people felt about the company. They felt like their contributions mattered. They mattered more than just doing their jobs, they felt part of the big picture and because they were part of it’s creation, they felt compelled and responsible to see that vision come to life.
This type of culture is very attractive to great people. They thrive in this environment and usually over achieve.
And the best part is, its easy to d. It doesn’t cost anything to get your people involved and contributing.
When the recession hit, the companies that had been already doing this, we’re in a good position and didn’t feel the crush nearly as much. The firms we spoke with that didn’t have this in place, but embraced it early on also came out of the recession in good shape. However, some of the companies we spoke with waited too long and are still trying to recover.
So at the end of the day the moral to story is, get all of your people involved in the creation and execution of your corporate vision. People are what gives a company it’s life, not your products and services. When you engage your staff and have real and open dialogue and let them feel part of where the company is going they will surprise you and you’re company will be that much better for it. And great people will find you irresistible.
