Smart executives realize the most valuable assets at their companies are employees – not products or services – no matter how revolutionary they are. While interest in new products/services glow before fading over time, valuable people are always there, always ready to bring new ideas to meetings, maintain company culture, and connect with new customers.
These employees deserve to be treated like – better yet, celebrated as – valuable people as opposed to being viewed as people with valuable skills.
There is a huge difference.
Start-ups, small businesses, and large corporations that understand the difference are more likely to launch, grow, and scale. After all, valuable people are a competitive advantage. What’s the difference between treating employees as valuable people vs. people with valuable skills? Jobs descriptions change. Valuable people will always be valued.
Here are several reasons why CEOs and management must recognize valued people:
Valuable People Increase Opportunities For Increased Profits
Showing appreciation for employees is more than just the right thing to do. It also benefits a company’s bottom line. Businesses that show appreciation for employees are more likely to enjoy increased job satisfaction and successful company culture, which Dale Carnegie research has directly linked to lower turnover, better customer service, even fewer workplace accidents.
Conversely, businesses that fail to make employees feel valued risk a negative company culture, lower productivity, and high staff turnover. Replacing dedicated, dependable employees is expensive and time-consuming, especially in start-ups. Many small businesses spend more than one-third of their days engaged with non-income generating tasks like hiring and training.
Valued People Are Ideal Company Ambassadors
Valued people embrace and protect company culture, even when the bosses are not around. They go above and beyond: training new employees, supporting struggling co-workers and motivating others that need an extra push to perform.
In 2019, company reputations can affect your ability to retain top talent. Websites like Glassdoor and Indeed offer current and former employees platforms to anonymously scrutinize the workplace. Potential hires are often the ones reading these reviews. What are your employees writing about your company?
Valuable People Become Management Material
Companies that can identify high-potential employees will often reap the benefits later on. and recognize hard-working, empathic, problem-solving employees will be more likely to promote from within. Who better to lead departments and teams than employees that previously served in similar roles? These in-house promotions also motivate co-workers.
Connecting With Valued Employees
Treating employees like valuable people offers executives opportunities to get to know them, leading to more meaningful work relationships. These opportunities allow management to impress upon them the company’s short and long-term vision and values. This is important because every company faces challenges at some point (financial, production, etc.), and it’s vital to have employees on board.
13 Ways to Motivate Your Team to Become Leaders
We have trained thousands of individuals in organizations to prepare them for the leadership roles of tomorrow. This technique was just 1 of the 13 ways you can begin to inspire your key employees to become leaders.
Interested in learning all 13 ways to motivate your team to become leaders? Click here.