Growing Your Seeds...

We have just had the third part of our series Your People but then,
it does not end there. And why not? Human resources is, after all,
an organization's greatest asset. Fathom that while management
is about technicalities, leadership is about people. Oh yes, I heard
you... Vision. But then, vision involves steering your organization,
your people to a higher level.

"We desperately need... a national and global economy in which
people act not only as consumers but as citizens, in which workers
reassert their responsibility for themselves and the success of
their companies." - Hillary Clinton

See? The foundation of a great company lies on how well it handles
its people. You know that... unfortunately, not all knows how to bring
out the best in their people.

Again...

People in your company should not be taken for granted, but
nurtured and cared for. They are your internal customers. They
bring in the business for you. They make customers happy enough
to make them come back for more, thus, helping spread the good
word about your company's products and services. Your people
are your company's ambassadors of goodwill, the direct extension
of your office, of your company.

Catch them doing right even for minor tasks rather than finding faults.

Be broadminded. Allow for some mistakes from your employees.
Help them realize that failure is not so bad but can be part of growing.
Understand that committing a mistake is normal so long as one
learns from it and does not repeat it.

One way to "exploit, reverse and maximize" on this is by investing
in the hiring, training and development of your employees, bottoms
up and across other functional areas of the company.

"Companies die because their managers focus on the economic
activity of producing goods and services, and they forget that their
organization's true nature is that of a community of humans."
~ Arie De Geus

With that, look for hidden talents of employees that might have been
overlooked. Encourage them to perform tasks they're smart enough
of doing.

Apply positive strokes, words of encouragement, and a healthy
working environment. Cheer for your employees so they are
encouraged to go beyond what is required of them. Help ordinary
employees deliver extraordinary results.

Lastly, if possible, make public announcements like press releases
about outstanding performances of employees. Like artists and
musicians, employees need an applause after a good performance.

Sounds simple? So, have you?

Remember…
"Growing your seeds starts with recognizing the seed then doing
what it takes to nurture it to its full potential."

Your People... Part III

In our previous article, we ended with the thought of how to make
our people happy. As we all know, endless surveys and studies
and even discussions in business and networking sites have
been made about this.

For starters, a good guide would be to understand Maslow's
hierarchy of needs. Since everybody has his own needs, wants
and dreams -- being happy is a person-to-person basis. Thus,
get to know your people a little more. Talking to your people is
never a waste of time or effort but employee turn over is, so
recognize their requirements and don't get under their skin.
Foster a healthy working environment.

"You can't treat people like an expense item." - Andrew Grove

See, employees are human beings not equipments that you
could just take for granted or throw away. More so, fathom that
money maybe a good motivator to most but a good treatment is
a necessity to all. Be empathic. I am sure you have heard of it
so many times already but it's about time you apply it.

Making your people happy is crucial to retaining the best talents
and attracting potentials. Realize that if you do not treat people
well, not only will they leave you but news will leak on what kind of
organization you have. And it's not something that would help
your company move with great strides.

Word-of-mouth works on employees and leaders just like
how it works on customers.

"You can do a lot of talking to your employees, and you can buy
turkeys at Christmas if that's your hobby, but it isn't going to help
you one bit to keep the employee happy." - Thomas J. Watson

Hence, know that good treatment does not mean pampering.
Pampering would even hamper your child's potential to be the
best that he can be. Good treatment is about valuing your people
accordingly.

Consider the basics.

Give your people job security... you get their legs;
give your people recognition... you get their ears;
give your people space... you get their eyes;
give your people growth... you get their hands;
give your people authority... you get their minds;
give your people respect... you get their souls;
give your people yourself... you get their hearts.

Do you follow?

Remember…
"The worse mistake a boss can make is not to say 'well done'."
- John Ashcroft