Everywhere I go I see new buildings being built. I have noticed a trend in which one company builds a new building and then their competitor across the street builds one even bigger. For all of you football fans out there, think, “Jerry World.” So the idea behind this is that the bigger and nicer the buildings, the more business the company can generate, right? WRONG. The problem I see with most large companies, whether it’s automobile manufacturers or other large corporations is that they are forgetting one very important thing, the employee.
I won’t lie, when I go to make a purchase, whether it’s an automobile, furniture, or something else, I do like going to a nice environment. And I do actually believe that a nice new building with all of the fancy new amenities does help provide a good experience. However, I also wonder how much all of that costs and how much extra I am going to have to pay for all of those fancy lights and flat-screen TVs mounted on the walls. So the question becomes, how much is too much? And is there an assigned value you can put to building the biggest and baddest store out there? Where do we draw the line with how much is just too much?
The point I am getting at is that no matter how big or how nice you make something, it is nothing without the employees. I have witnessed way too many companies that do not feel that way. What’s worse, I have witnessed people in leadership positions that could care less about their employees. Those are definitely not companies or leaders I look up to. There are too many good companies and leaders out there to distract yourself with the bad ones.
So what happens when a company builds it and nobody comes? I believe a lot of companies have done just that and are seeing that it’s not so easy to build something bigger than everyone else and expect people will just come to you. There are several examples that come to mind of companies ignoring their employees and deciding to put everything else ahead of them.
However, the worst example I see is when a company decides to put the customer ahead of their employee. I never thought this was rocket science, but maybe it is. When you take care of your employee, they, in turn, will take care of your customer. When you take care of your customer, but not your employee, you have now created high turnover and no customer loyalty, because the customer didn’t have the opportunity to “buy” the employee.
Don’t get me wrong, it has been proven time and time again that people will pay more for a better experience. The problem comes when I go into a business and feel like I could cut the tension with a knife. That tells me that the employees are not happy. So next time you go somewhere that looks like it could rival the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, remember that place is nothing without the employees that work there. There is nothing more valuable.
As always, I would love to hear from the readers and what you think. Are we going through such a paradigm shift that employees just don’t matter as much? Or am I right to believe that the employee is still the most important thing in any business model? On a different note, this will be my last blog of the year and I want to thank each and every one of you for reading and contributing. I still don’t know where this blog is going to take me, but I do know that if it has helped just one reader then it has been well worth writing. I will always believe that people buy people and I thank you all again for taking the time to read my blog.
“people buy people”….consider me sold.
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You are too kind Matt. Thank you.
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I absolutely agree with you because I have witnessed too, companies that started small but had a very good attitude and valued its workforce grow bigger and bigger companies dwindle in the same space of time yet the reason being only about salaries and motivation. Bigger companies tend to lose the same skilled manpower to smaller but upcoming industries due to lack of appreciating its workforce.
I have liked your “If you build it, They may not come” for its the reality of the cooperate world.
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Thank you James. There are a lot of great companies out there with leaders that value their employees. It’s such a shame that there are also so many that don’t. Really appreciate your comment and thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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Love your insights. Guess that’s why you are the best boss ever.
A good leader understands the value of their employees. They work as a team, and I mean each and every one of them. Everyone is held accountable, including the leader. Therefore, there is low turn over, high morale, etc. Employees work harder to make the company a better place to be.
Unfortunately, good leaders are far and few in between. That is the problem. When things go wrong, the blame is not placed where it should be, at the people or position where the mistake happened. Just as when things go right, the praise isn’t given to the people or position that made it that way. When employees feel used or taken advantage of, that is when the high turn over rates, low morales, etc come into play.
Feeling appreciated and acknowledge, no matter how high or low your position may be, makes a difference in the everyday working of a business.
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Thank you Paula. As always, it has been a privilege to know and work with you. Everything you say is spot-on in my opinion.
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It’s an established fact that companies who treat the employees well have happy and loyal employees, low turnover and a happier and more productive work environment. I agree that more businesses seem to not treat their employees well; for me this is an indication of where we are going: money over people. The buck is the bottom line and people are dispensable. Sad.
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