Thursday, May 29, 2014

People - the Asset


I love Hugh McLeod - his art is uber-cool & his words always make me think.

Working with client that have teams, I am sometimes hard-pressed to understand that they cannot grasp the dollar investment they are making in their people right from the moment of putting together a job description, right through the recruiting process to the actual on boarding of the new team member.

While it is an investment of time and money, the lack of importance placed on this key process completely goes against my grain.  If I would like build an engaged workforce, I have to work at engaging them - this is my job first, and then their job as they become part of the team.

No matter what business or organization we lead, our connection to our end user (people) is usually through our people.  Understanding the value of the relationships our people build can only enhance the value they add to our business - meaning we need to attribute this value to them.

How do you do this?  Here are some thoughts:

  • be clear about expectations and provide real-time feedback on a regular (no less than monthly) basis
  • plan to grow them as you grow yourself and your business
  • be honest - sometimes the culture fit is not there - find a fit
  • take time to hire, move quickly to end relationships that are not working
  • have a people plan - for today, tomorrow and next year
  • seek feedback from the team, listen to it and work to change
  • onboard well with frequent check-ins to verify learning and developing engagement
  • don't compromise - your gut knows what is working & what is not
How are you protecting/caring for & engaging your people assets?


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