Written by Jerry Olson, The Resultants
Meet “Joe,” a skilled carpenter looking for a new position. He’s very talented and his years of experience are in high demand in today’s full employment economy. Builders want to hire him … quickly. Joe’s lucky — he’s got lots of options but who will he choose?
Will he go to work for the highest bidder?
If pay is all that’s important to Joe, he probably will choose the highest bidder. And, after time, he’ll eventually move onto the next builder who offers to pay him a fraction more. However, the right “Joe” for your team is the one who’s looking for more than just the largest paycheck.
After all, studies clearly show that pay seldom ranks at the top of workers’ reasons for staying with an employer. People really commit to companies when they see and experience core values such as respect, growth, recognition and meaning. These types of values help create and grow the culture of the organization. So, even if Joe chooses to go work for the highest bidder, he may find he is not a fit for the organization’s culture or vice versa … the organization’s culture doesn’t fit him.
Sometimes, a company’s culture happens by accident or is dependent on the personality of the founder. So, ask yourself, is the culture in your organization just kind of happening or are you building it carefully and deliberately? Is your culture known outside of the company to the extent that the highly-skilled “Joes” view you as a first choice when looking for a new employer?
You can and should build your culture carefully and deliberately by establishing, clarifying and communicating the core values you want to be shared by everyone. These values must be more than just words on the wall. Your core values must be yours in which you believe so much that they are inherently applied on a daily basis. They must be planted, nurtured and tended by specific behaviors that support each core value. They truly blossom and become the company’s culture when the supporting behaviors become second nature to all members of the organization.
True success comes when organizations use their core values and supporting behaviors to recruit and select the right people, those who “fit.” The culture keeps growing as people are recognized and rewarded for displaying the behaviors that support the core values upon which the culture relies.
If Joe is a good fit for your organization, your carefully nurtured culture will attract him. And if your culture is flourishing in your recruitment and selection process, you’ll know it before he starts. Engagement and retention become easy with the right people who fit the culture. So, what are you doing to get and keep Joe?
