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For a rock star, true success may mean playing to sold-out stadiums, albums reaching multiplatinum status, and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Or, it could be playing a benefit concert in their hometown to support victims of a local crisis (looking at you, Imagine Dragons and The Killers!)
The reality is that success looks different to everyone. Understanding both your and your employees’ goals (and helping them reach them) will help you ensure that your team members are productive, happy, and loyal.
What Might Success Look Like?
Let’s take a look at three potential metrics your employees may consider as “success.”
1. Advancement
Your employee works hard, loves to learn, and can’t fathom the thought of working in the same role for more than a year. They want opportunities to develop themselves personally and professionally. They want to know that there is potential for growth inside your organization. They want to know that the harder they work, the more they will be rewarded for their effort.
To appeal to these employees, you’ll want to offer training and mentorship and promote them from within your organization whenever possible.
2. Work-Life Balance
Some employees are happy with the job they’ve got. They appreciate the comfort of knowing exactly what’s expected and being able to do their work and then go home and enjoy their family and friends. They want to pick their kids up from school, take their aging parent to a doctor’s appointment, or catch their favorite band in another city without losing an entire day of work.
Help these employees achieve “success” by offering time off as a reward for productivity, allowing employees to work from home when possible, and permitting flexible schedules, so they don’t miss out on the important moments in their lives.
3. Meaning
As younger generations join the workforce, you’ll be seeing more employees for whom meaning, purpose, and social responsibility are driving factors. They want to know that they are making a difference in the community. They want to know that their work provides value beyond pushing papers and making money. They want to change the world. Like Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, they ask, “What can I do today that will make a difference?.”
These employees will be happiest when your organization supports a cause close to their hearts. Offer them (paid) opportunities to volunteer in the community. Match donations to the nonprofit organizations they donate to. Or, tie in a social cause to everything your company does so they know that just by coming to work, they are changing the future for the better.
While some of your employees may dream of running the company one day (the business equivalent of performing on the biggest stages in the world), others may want to enjoy their families and not spend their lives on tour. Some will want to use their stardom to rally for a cause.
Respect the metrics your team uses to judge success and help them become rock stars in their own right. Then watch their productivity go up and your retention go down.
Our Nashville motivational speaker Marvelless Mark can help you start off on the right foot.
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