Take a quick glance at the organizations listed below. What do they have in common? You might struggle to arrive at an answer to that question as it’s obviously not a product, service, or even an industry they share.
However, each is very successful in what they do.
- Zappos.com
- Nordstrom
- Dreamworks Animation
- Southwest Airlines
- W.L. Gore & Associates
- Whole Food Markets
- Starbucks Coffee
- The Container Store
- Herman Miller
- Stew Leonards
Let’s solve the mystery. Each of those listed here has been recognized for its unique culture. If you were exposed to the elements which make up a unique culture, you might be surprised at how basic, yet rare, they actually are. The names I’ve shared here are just a few of the many identified by Fortune Magazine
They boast productivity, profitability, low turnover, high customer service satisfaction scores, longevity, and creativity to name a few of their commonalities. Most companies in any industry would be thrilled to boast such achievements. Yet few will benchmark those who do. If they did a little research, they would discover that they too could share this success by focusing on the need to place people before products, services, or profits. While all three are key to success, each can be and is achieved must sooner and to a greater degree through focus on your people.
Those listed above share critical elements which have certainly contributed to their success. Here are just a few of those elements.
- Age diversity
- Open communication
- Employee involvement
- Continuing education
- Ethnically diverse
- Recognition programs
- Community involvement
- Goal establishment
- Expectation establishment
- Accountability
- Celebration of success
Think about your organization. Are these contributing factors present in your culture? If not, consider benchmarking those who have identified the importance of a strong culture and have benefited from a focus on their people.
Again, these are just a few of the factors which must exist to achieve the success you seek by attracting and keeping the people who will make it happen.
Check out this short video for further clarification of the importance of people.
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.