I told a story a few weeks ago about a client who lost a key employee (read blog here). That blog spurred a lot of conversation in our team about how to play offense to keep the best employees. You can play defense with higher salaries, better benefits packages, and perks like free espresso. We have invited Ryan Holloway to teach us how to build competitive benefits in a hot market next week. But this week, let’s talk about how to play offense in preventing turnover.
I have been working through a new book by Daniel Coyle called The Culture Code. He has outlined a powerfully clear and simple model that mirrors a piece of the work we do with our clients. If you want your best employees to stay at your company and bring their A-game to work every day, the answers to these three questions must be a resounding ‘Yes’.
- Do they feel safe? Free from threatening behaviors, draconian leadership practices, and aggressive or negative influences from above or within their teams.
- Do they feel connected?“A mere hint of belonging is not enough; one or two signals are not enough. We are created to require lots of signaling, over and over.” – Daniel Coyle.
Communication is Leadership. Leadership is Communication. In most organizations, the messages, even when they are clear, are seldom sent with the frequency or effectiveness required to create connectedness.
- Do they have purpose? Like diet and exercise, the idea of purpose is easily discussed but challenging to build into your day to day work. Clarity comes first, then creating the language and systems that continuously point to the purpose.
Is your company at risk of losing a key employee? I’d be happy to give you a free culture assessment over a cup of coffee.
Schedule a coffee meeting with Ross here.