Are people really your most important asset?

I was extremely disappointed to learn of how a friend of mine finished up his 41 years at an organisation of which he had formerly been the CEO. After so many years of service, many spent in a senior management position, he basically packed up and left one afternoon, without anyone acknowledging his time, effort, not to mention the significant value he added to the organisation during his tenure.

Now this organisation is undoubtedly busy, they are stretched both in terms of people and finances, and they have some fairly hefty obligations to the public service, but for an organisation who relies on their people it seems to be forgetting a key consideration — how to treat their people.

It’s not enough for any company to just say the words, you have to show it through your actions. If people are your most important asset, don’t forget that but live it — from start to finish.

1. Spend time inducting people. First impressions count. People form their impression about whether they stay or leave in the first few months. According to the Aberdeen Group, 86% of new hires decide to stay or leave a company within their first six months and new employees are 69% more likely to stay longer than three years if they experience well-structured induction and on-boarding.

2. Get to know your people. Getting to know your staff can be invaluable for a senior manager. One day, a few months after graduating from Air Force Officer training, I was amazed when the Deputy Chief of Air Force saw me in the Officers’ Mess and called me by name. It stuck with me that such a senior officer would take the time to stop and chat, and that he knew who I was. It reinforced for me the family type values of the service, and that it was a place I wanted to be.

3. Recognise and reward results. This is a key area of engagement for employees. I hear managers wonder why they need to recognise people for ‘just doing their job’ and ask how they can reward those in the public sector. Recognition can be as simple as a thank you for a job well done, or as elaborate as you like, but the key is to understand how your employee would like to be recognised and what for. Some like things understated but personal, others like to see the team recognised ahead of themselves. A reward doesn’t have to be monetary, but could be something meaningful such as a couple of hours extra Christmas shopping time over a lunch break. The important thing is not to take people for granted.

In the Maori language there is the oft quoted saying:

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!

What is the most important thing in the world? It is people! It is people! It is people!

This is quoted far and wide in New Zealand by leaders and is absolutely true — especially when you’re talking about your employees. Remember though, it’s not enough to just say it, you have to live it. By not living up to this, organisations run the very real risk of alienating the very people who are the most important — its employees.

How do you show your staff they’re valued?

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