Did you know that trees in the Amazon create their own weather? Companies are much the same...
A recent article in Science Magazine found that trees in the Amazon rainforest are able to control the weather and create their own rain. By opening pores in their leaves and excreting microscopic water vapor, trees create low level clouds that trigger wind pattern shifts in the jungle that attract more moisture from the ocean. Amazing!
With unemployment at an all time low, many businesses are struggling to attract great or even decent employees. For the past ten years, I have observed and experimented with this problem. How is it that some companies just seem to have great employees apply, and others have the worst “luck”? What’s the secret?
It’s not by chance.
In much the same way as the Amazon, your company has its own ecosystem. If you build your business and tend to it correctly, it too can create its own “rain” - attracting great employees to your team with very little ongoing effort on your part.
The truth is, great employees that are happy attract more good employees. Investing in your team, treating them well, and making sure they are not only growing and content, but excited about their work can turn a satisfied employee into an active promoter of your business.
Once you develop a reputation for being an excellent place to work, you will notice that great employees will chase you down for the chance to work with you. You’ll find your best employees trying to bring their friends into the company. You may even notice that your competitor’s employees apply to work with you.
Take five minutes today and think about whether you would like to work for your company. Then imagine what it would take for you to be really excited to work there. There is much more to it than compensation. Consider implementing an employee satisfaction survey to measure employee engagement and happiness, like Garry Ridge did at WD-40. Under Garry, WD-40 has had over 15% compounded annual shareholder income growth for 20 years and currently reports greater than 90% employee satisfaction. He must be doing something right!
To learn more about Garry Ridge, check out his article on How to be a Soul Sucking CEO (so you can avoid becoming one!).
What's your perspective on the best way to attract and retain great employees? Like, comment, and share.
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