Because last week was Labor Day here in the US, it's no surprise that the conversation naturally shifted away from the usual outwardly elements of marketing and branding, to the seemingly more internal function of attracting and retaining great employees. Here are some of the best exerpts from the most astute blog posts and conversations I ran into:
First, here's a little something dug up by John Moore,over at Brand Autopsy:
"… when you build a company where people really want to work, you've got your hands on one of the most powerful competitive advantages in the game: the ability to hire and field the best team.」 - Jack and Suzy Welch - Business Week
Good start. Here's more:
The Preferred Employer Checklist:
#1 | Preferred employers continuously offer their employees personal and professional growth opportunities from in-house leadership/educational seminars to outside training programs.
#2 | Preferred employers consistently appraise the performances of employees and reward accordingly with merit increases and promotions.
#3 | Preferred employers foster environments where employees are encouraged to take risks and be innovative even though they may fail.
#4 | Preferred employers are enlightened and respect the need to be diverse, globally aware, and sensitive to social matters.
#5 | Preferred employers have rigid criteria for hiring the right people. These companies know that when they hire the right person, they will in turn, will hire the right people.
#6 | Preferred employers are healthy businesses that are growing in size, stature, and profits.
To throw a wrench in the cogs, check out this keen observation from Spike, at Brains on Fire...
"Playing it safe puts your job in danger. You were not hired to play it safe, were you? I'm not saying that you have to be a loose cannon – but come on. DO something. Will your resume say, 「Played it safe at company X for 5 years,」 or 「Moved the needle. Changed the culture. Pushed the boundaries. Shrunk comfort zones. Made a difference.」
"Is the choice really that tough?
"Marketing can be meaningful. But you have to make it that way."
... which prompted this response from Jason Oke, over at Leo Burnett...
"I've been thinking about this exact point for a while as well. In my experience, it seems that most people are driven more by the desire to avoid failure, and more specifically to avoid blame for failure, rather than a desire to acheive success. Most people would rather have safe 1% growth on their brands than aim for 50% or 100% growth and changing the category, because that entails risk of failure (if it was guaranteed, everyone would have done it already). This is partly driven by the inherently conservative nature of people - people who have kids and mortgages and so on - to not want to put their neck on the line. It's partly driven by a cultural belief that failure is bad and demeaning, rather than an opportunity to learn and grow. It's also partly institutional culture and economics - most companies compensate people based on short-term growth, rather than long-term vision, and stigmatize failure. Nobody wants to be the person who lost a chunk of shareholder money. Really, how many organizations actively encourage risk-taking and challenging convention? Not a lot.
"This is why so many decisions are not made by individual judgement, but by committee, or by research. These are structures that mitigate individual responsibility for a decision. I've seen people approve something which no one really believes will work because 「the research said people liked it」 - even if everyone kind of knows the research was flawed. But they approve nonetheless, because if it fails, they're blameless: 「the consumers told us to do it.」
"It takes a brave individual to base a decision on their own judgement, especially in defiance of conventional wisdom or company politics or research. That makes it a rare individual. But these are usually the people who change the world."
... which prompted the brandbuilder post that this little soundbite came from:
"It basically comes down to management culture... which sometimes changes not just from company to company, but also from department to department - and is completely people-driven: One manager or director may be a bold visionary who drives innovation and fuels excitement in the marketplace, while her replacement may be a conformist functionary who will let internal politics dictate his decisions. Subtle HR changes like these can make or break departments, divisions, companies, and... yes, brands pretty-much overnight.
"I've found myself caught in the middle of these types of management shifts, and I am here to tell you that they suck. There is nothing sadder than seeing a company with enormous potential throw its success away by "playing it safe." By not having the guts to stand out. By not having the oysters to try and be the best.
Where is this all going? I'll clue you in: Some companies focus on attracting serious talent. Creatives. Innovators. Pioneers. These companies create ecosystems in which new ideas are free to grow and spread. Among these companies are the likes of Apple, Asics, Virgin, Puma, Starbucks, Whole Foods, and Specialized.
Others don't. Actually, most companies still speak in terms of "filling positions" instead of "creating positions". Most HR managers don't really take the time to get beyond cursory reviews of resumes during first selection rounds. Most companies still look for bearings to fill the empty slots in their hubs. This is not the way to build something special.
This is not the way to infuse your brand(s) wit passion, talent, and new ideas.
This is not the way to challenge your competition, your market, or your industry.
This is not the way you score. Ever.
Attracting, engaging and retaining extraordinary talent is vital to both the well-being and the growth of a brand. Vital. People are the heart and soul of a brand. If you don't know how to find them in the crowd, if you don't know how to make them want to work for you, if you don't know how to give them the tools they need to produce extraordinary work for you, and if you don't know how to keep them happy and engaged, you are dead in the water.
You might as well pack it up and go home.
Fortunately, David Armano (over at Logic+Emotion) comes to the table with some insightful observations, borrowed from the Creative Generalist blog:
First, some good advice on how to build passion within your organization -
10. See greatness in those around you and share your vision
9. Express constructive feedback in terms of "the vision"
8. Believe that things can be different and approach the improbable with optimism
7. Set high standards for performance and hold EVERYONE accountable
6. Demonstrate courage, judgement, risk-taking and continuous improvement in your own performance
5. Recognize and celebrate success
4. Design growth experiences that stretch but don't break people
3. Invest in trust and even love
2. Respond maturely to failures and setbacks
1. Push power and decision making down
And now for what not to do:
The Seven Deadly Deficiencies of Dysfunctional Companies -
1. Contempt for others
2. Obsession with self
3. Commitment dysfunction
4. Inflexible mindset
5. No productive focus
6. Unrelenting pessimism
7. Embraces Dilbertian views of leaders
And this:
Eight Ways to Wipe Out High Performers -
1. Work overload
2. Lack autonomy (micromanagement)
3. Skimpy rewards
4. Loss of connection
5. Unfairness
6. Value conflicts
7. Let low-performers ride
8. Create an environment of fear, uncertainty and doubt
(Wow. I've actually worked for companies and a few clients who exhibited every single one of those traits. Scary.)
Lastly, still courtesy of David Armano, here are some great little quotations for you to ponder:
"High performers drive you nuts sometimes. You need to enjoy that. Steer them, frame their objectives, but don't repress them." --Terry Leclair, Senior PD Director at Intuit
"High performers are like 'thoroughbreds'. They require lots of care and feeding - but boy can they run." -- Tobey Corey, Founder US Web
"As a leader you have the obligation to define the 'what' to the nth level - to get to goals for the right level - to make sure the 'what' is right. But you don't want to dictate the 'how'. You want to give the team and the individual the determination of 'how'. -- Pankaj Shukla, VP, Quickbooks PD at Intuit "
If you aren't taking steps to become a great workplace where the best and brightest will not only want to work, but love working, you are dropping the ball something fierce. Great marketing doesn't start with a great message or a great story to tell. It starts with great people who create great companies. It starts at the very heart of everything that a company is. It starts inside. At the core.
Don't ever lose sight of that.
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