Building Your "Team"

A Conference Board study released last week reported that worker satisfaction is at an all time low. Many employers are relying upon the recession as a retention strategy- employees have no where to go therefore we can concentrate on "other" aspects of our business. Yes Virginia, that strategy is really as dumb as it sounds!

So I would like to explore a different paradigm; one that says the concept of loyalty isn't dead and that the team with the best people doing the best work wins.

I wanted to take this opportunity to share some ideas from Daniel Pink, author of Drive among several other great books as well as some key other things you can do.

• One of the suggestions that Pink makes is to create great jobs. We have talked about this previously as building engagement into your process. When you build great jobs and a place for people where their values align with your own you tend to get great people.
• He follows that up with build great careers - even if they aren't entirely with you! I have long said that we need to redefine loyalty in terms of contribution not tenure. When people are giving you 110% while they are on your payroll they are in fact being loyal. Pink talks about boomerang employees; employees who may leave temporarily to get experiences or a promotion you can't offer them, but come back. In many cases they return with experiences and skills you couldn't provide. Their value has increased not decreased! Even if they don't return former employees who had positive experiences with you are great sources of future employees.
• Take the pulse of your employees. Great employers "re-recruit" constantly. They ensure that employees understand their role in the organization and how they "fit" constantly. They also focus on them as individuals. People like to know how they fit and contribute on a personal level. It's called meaningful feedback!
• Be realistic with your expectations and theirs. Some level of turnover is not only to be expected it is necessary. People's values and needs change over time. Making promises that you can't keep undermines trust and makes you seem as if you don't respect their intelligence.
• Treat them with respect. If I respect you I talk to you about your work in terms of outcomes, not process. I also hold you accountable within reason for achieving your work effectively and independently. I don't encourage co dependence or tolerate mediocrity. I see you as a "partner" not as someone who is beneath me.
• In addition to Pink's excellent suggestions I would add one of my own- Hire Right! By thinking through what kind of people you need and want to add to your team you will make better hires.

We know that based on lack of engagement, poor fit, and general dissatisfaction U.S. production efficiency is estimated to be at around 30%. Do you really want to rely on the lousy economy to get and keep the people you need to run your organization? Especially when studies also tell us that the supply of "mature" talent (25 to 45) is expected to decrease by 25% while demand increases by 15%. Or worse yet to you want to settle for 30% efficiency?

Are any of these things really that hard to do at the end of the day?