“It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?” — Christopher Gardner
It’s funny … when I watched Pursuit of Happyness, the most powerful moment in the movie was the point where Chris Gardner was offered the job and he walks into the street and joins the crowds of happy people. It was the most powerful moment for me because I felt similarly when I was offered my first full time position.
Why do I bring up the movie/book? Because it is interesting how Chris Gardner’s quote puts everything in context. We are all striving for our own form of happiness in some sense. Whether this may be in relationships or work or in our daily life, it all ties in together. After reading Seth Godin’s post on Marketing HR which actually talks about recruiting talent, I thought I’d work through some of my thoughts on that issue.
We work because we have to (duh…), but even more so, we work because it provides us with a sense of purpose. There are those who are more driven than others while there are those who carry a powerful sense of purpose with them wherever they go. Why is it that management fails to spot those with purpose? Why is it that management fails to keep talent around?
Simple. Talent is similar to the sense of purpose — it wants to grow and move on or else it will get bored and unhappy. Any owner or manager of a business has the responsibility to ensure that their staff are pursuing whatever makes them happy. It only makes sense doesn’t it? I’m not suggesting that everyone drop everything they don’t like — but rather there should be growth and movement towards a point of happiness.
Business owners and managers believe that they can easily replace skill. Sure of course skill is replaceable but the person isn’t. Every time someone leaves a company — the hit on staff morale is probably ten fold. I’m speculating of course.
Michael Lopp, author of Managing Humans (and blogger Rands in Repose) had a brilliant brief for holding on to talent or rather identifying your employee’s skill and will quadrant:
- High Skill, Low Will: Boredom is imminent — needs a change of scenery and responsibilit. Stat.
- High Will, Low Skill: Needs training, needs mentorship. Needs management. The good news is they really, really want it. Savor this because as soon as the skill kicks in, they’re going to start wanting your job. This rules.
- Low Will, Low Skill: Boy, did you screw up. It takes a fairly concerted effort to ignore the needs of your employee so long that (a) they no longer have the skills necessary to do their job, and (b) they don’t want to do it. Roll those sleeves up, pal. You’ve got work to do.
- High Skill, High Will: Great job, ummmmm, guess what? No one stays here long.
What is the ROI? That’s pretty easy — loyal staff, more innovative and creative staff, and overall better people and dynamics in the office.
Think about it — we spend all that money and time marketing to consumers about how great our products or services are — yet we don’t pay enough attention internally. This is important for businesses of all sizes because as a business, you want to grow — growth is not just key to the business but to the people who work within the business as well. Not providing and addressing what your employees need and want will ultimately hinder your business inwardly.
Silly isn’t it? Short-term vision that focuses on primarily the balance sheet and numbers can often hurt the long-term potential for greatness. So what do you want to do as a business — be great or merely stay afloat? Greatness requires us to rethink and redefine ourselves on a consistent basis.
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