Leaders Invest In Their Employees
People are talking. Ensuring they have something good to say about you and are motivated to share it with as many people as possible is very good for your business. The things your increasingly connected customers and employees say online not only last forever, they also spread farther, faster, and have greater impact than ever before.
The reputation of your business is path dependent. That means you have to earn it over time by the things that you choose and refuse to do. Reputation is a very valuable source of competitive advantage for your business because it’s hard for your competitors to imitate. Even if they can figure out what you are doing to cause so many people to say such good things about you, it’s going to take them time to catch up, and while they’re pursing competitive parity you’ll continue to build operational excellence.
Want to build a stellar reputation with customers? Then you better be just as concerned about the reputation you earn as a place to work. Your employees make or break your business. But is your business making or breaking your employees? Gary Vaynerchuck articulates this concept well in his new book, “The Thank You Economy”:
Too many leaders invest insufficiently in their employees for fear of losing out when the employee leaves. Any investment you make in your employees will be safe if they believe that you really care about them and their future. Create a culture that rewards people who show that they care. Seek the input of people who have a tendency to take risks and share big ideas. Prove that you value your employees above all else by giving them the freedom to ask for what they want, to experiment, and to be themselves. (pp. 100-101).
Here is something else Gary says in his book that I really love: “I care more about my employees than I do my customers, and I care more about my customers than I do breathing.” (p. 91). Cha-ching! Gary is loving his employees all the way to the bank.
Create a system that attracts and retains remarkable employees and then enables them to impress the socks off your customers. If from time to time an ambitious employee leaves for a different opportunity, don’t worry, because the system you’ve created to impress your employees will attract a steady stream of equally talented folks to replace them.
Underdeveloping and undertrusting your employees is the path to operational malaise. There are multiple paths to earning a reputation as a great place for great people to work, but they all head north, not south.
Which path are you and your company on?
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About the Author: Bret L. Simmons
Welcome to my blog! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section of my posts. I publish all constructive, non-anonymous comments. 
Bret –
Very well said. You can learn a lot from what people say about their employers and you can also learn a lot from what people don’t say about their employers. I think many people might hesitate to disparage a current or past employer, especially publicly.
Happy employees will share their enthusiasm with others. Seems like Vaynerchuck has the right idea.
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 10:30 am
Welcome, Becky! Whatever is said is earned. If you are afraid to speak about a past employer, I think that’s a bad sign. They earned your fear, but I think you have to refuse to own it. Thanks! Bret
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In fact, one key point in organizations is employees. A leader should give the primary importance in them because are ‘the cogs in a wheel.’ If someone fails, the goals of the enterprise will not be attained because one of them is ‘swimming against the tide.’ In this regard, every manager should invest on employees in order to achieve of them motivation, engagement as well as loyalty with the company, which certainly these elements will influence in organization’s image and productivity.
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Glad you agree, Julio! Now go invest in YOUR employees. Thanks! Bret
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Great post Bret! Many companies get this concept, but there are still others that don’t. The companies that don’t usually have a higher turnover rate, lower employee satisfaction, and because of these things they also have higher expenses. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to increase your customer base, but the customers are not just people buying things from the company, but the also the people who help the company run and be successful.
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Welcome, Scott. I agree that too few companies and leaders get this powerful principle. Those that do get it are cleaning up. Thanks! Bret
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