How to Attract and Retain the Right People

If you're one of the many executives struggling with finding and keeping the right people to propel your business forward, you'll find these insights helpful.

If you're frustrated by trying to motivate people, work instead to develop a company where people are self-motivated ? where they do things because they want to. When we're inspired, we enjoy our work, we're productive, and we're proud of our efforts. We remain focused and committed to the task at hand. In short, we put forth out best effort.

An organization will attract and retain a team of people dedicated to the success of the organization and its goals when it has a Purpose, a Mission, and a set of Values that it lives by, effectively communicates them throughout the organization, and measures its actions and decisions against them. Let's define what Purpose, Mission and Values are and talk about the implications of having them clearly defined and embodied in the organization.

Purpose:

Purpose is the "WHY" of the equation. Purpose defines why we do what we do. It defines why we go to work each day. Without purpose, people just go through the motions and as most of us know, there's a great difference between activity and achievement. Having a purpose creates a yardstick, so to speak, to measure our decisions against. It helps us become passionate, helps us to select among the many options presented to us, helps us make better hiring decisions, and keeps us on track. It's possible to succeed without a clear purpose, but having one speeds and magnifies the results.

When a company has a clearly defined purpose it begins to act as a magnet, attracting the kind of people who will further the purpose; people who are like-minded. Not only will having a purpose retain the right people, but it will also act to attract them. This is the power behind the success of many not-for-profit organizations. Although they often are unable to pay their staff great sums of money, they continue to attract and retain people who are dedicated and who work hard to achieve the purpose of the organization. While your organization's purpose may not be as altruistic as a not-for-profit's purpose, it definitely plays an important, almost critical, role.

How you develop a meaningful purpose? Involve people throughout the organization in order to develop and distill the essence of why your organization exists. Don't simply rely on the executive team to develop and then dictate the purpose to the group. And certainly don't rely on an outside company to create your purpose for you! It has been my experience that a well-defined statement of purpose is a single sentence, crafted to capture the essence of "why" the organization exists using as few words as possible and resonating when read or spoken. This brings clarity and energy to it, and makes it much easier to keep in mind when making decisions and policies.

Mission:

Mission is the "WHAT" of the equation. Mission defines what the company does to achieve its Purpose. The better defined a company's mission is, the easier it is to choose among the many opportunities that will present themselves. A mission ? the means to achieve the Purpose - can be fairly narrow or be somewhat broad. However, one that is too narrow can unduly restrict an organization from considering opportunities that would otherwise be an excellent fit, and one that is too broad offers no guidance at all and may cause an organization to spread itself too thin, do a poor job at everything, and essentially dilute its effectiveness.

How do you determine an appropriate mission? Again, remember to involve people throughout the organization to develop and distill the essence of what your organization is about. Don't simply rely on the executive level to develop and then dictate the mission to the group. Work to strike that balance between clarity and confinement ? not too broad, yet not overly restrictive.

Values:

Values are the "HOW" of the equation. Values define how the Mission will be carried out in an effort to achieve the Purpose. They define the "rules of the game". Some of these values will come to mind quite easily, things like honesty, courtesy, kindness, and ethics. But some other important values will only surface when brainstorming takes place - when different perspectives and voices are heard. Values like authenticity and vulnerability may be placed on the table for consideration. (Which, by the way, are two essential qualities of an exceptional leader.) It doesn't matter which values are decided upon as being important to the company. What is important however, is that whatever they are, everyone in the company lives by and supports them. It's important that the policies and decisions of the company are in alignment with them. If the company has an acknowledged list of values it purports to live by and then chooses to ignore them, the list becomes a sore point and acts as a negative reflection of what kind of organization you really lead.

When a company has clearly defined its Purpose, Mission, and Values, then all decisions, policies, and actions will have a measuring stick to keep them on course and you will have an organization which attracts and keeps the best! You'll create an organizational culture which naturally acts as a magnet to attract and retain like-minded people. And you'll also have the framework to interview about the things that matter most to you and your organization. No longer will people be hired based solely on technical abilities or simply to fill seats.

Exceptional leadership inspires the best effort in others!

Written by Michael Beck, President of Exceptional Leadership, Inc., a leadership development and executive coaching firm dedicated to creating exceptional leadership for higher profits and greater job satisfaction. Michael can be reached at 877-977-8956 or mbeck@XLeaders.com, and you can learn more about the company and these ideas at http://www.XLeaders.com Permission to reprint with full attribution. Copyright 2004, Exceptional Leadership, Inc.

---

The Punitive Approach to Marginal Performers

MANAGING A MARGINAL PERFORMER: Often a marginal performer, even after... Read More

Project Management - The Traveling Product Manager

Various studies ? and common sense ? indicate that involving... Read More

Riding the Waves to Success

Last week I was confused and frustrated about a few... Read More

Ten Top Ways for Managers to Motivate Their People

So to help start the ball rolling, here are ten... Read More

Managing Group Meetings

MANAGING SMALL MEETINGS: Keep the size of the meeting as... Read More

The Importance of Business Goals

For you to get where you want to go, there... Read More

Innovation Management ? Six Crucial Steps

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

The Myth Of Relationship Selling Revealed At Last

The second you quit being the 'best deal' for your... Read More

Innovation Management ? the power of decision makers

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

The Silent Assassin - What to Do When They Visit You?

IntroductionThere are a group of people in the community that... Read More

Diversity in the Workplace

As you look around your office, is everyone just like... Read More

Manage Your Business from the Rockies, not the Prairies

The day job as a manager is all about managing... Read More

Get More Impact From Your Annual Conference

How can you get more attention for your conference and... Read More

Improve Operations by Restructuring

Transitioning from Vertical Hierarchies to Decentralized / Flatter OrganizationsThe need... Read More

Allowing Employees Responsibility

Merely assigning a task with detailed instructions is not effective... Read More

So, You Want to be in Management? Five Essential Factors that Will Determine Your Chances

The following information is based upon over 500 interviews with... Read More

Ten Problem Solving Techniques

Do you ever need to find some good ideas, or... Read More

Re-Discovery Procedures for Building Effective Management Systems: Phase V

Now we turn the corner to our final phase: Re-Discovery.Last... Read More

Quality Improvement is Free

The point of a quality improvement program should not only... Read More

What to do When You receive a Bad Check

As a small business operator, personal checks may be one... Read More

Uncommon Common Sense ? Know What is the Most Important Thing in Your Business

Over 3 of my meetings with 3 business owners last... Read More

Is ISO 9001 2000 Right For My Business?

Firstly you should decide your own reasoning behind considering ISO... Read More

Ringing Doorbells Without Howitzers

Many operations leaders have been there, done that with re-engineering.... Read More

Sexual Harassment Policy Guidelines Part II

SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMPLAINT INVESTIGATION PROCEDUREEvery complaint will be thoroughly investigated.... Read More

Preventative Maintenance of Company Delivery Vehicles

If you have company delivery vehicles at your small or... Read More

Giving a Good Appraisal Interview

Although this performance discussion is an opportunity for you to... Read More

The New Five Truths of Employee Motivation

Motivation is a term that is so widely used, yet... Read More

Balancing Power in Outsource Contract Agreements

The practice of outsourcing business processes has long been subject... Read More

Is It Worth To Outsource? How One Can Outsource Wisely

Recent trends in software development market show that it is... Read More

Group Meeting Disrupters

MEETING DISRUPTERS: If two participants are carrying on a personal... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management :- Thought Leadership

Leadership is only sustainable when leaders consistently come up with... Read More

Forecasting Support Costs

Did you know that maintenance accounts for 50% to 80%... Read More

When Business Becomes A Battlefield

"We have to be careful it's like a minefield out... Read More