The constant struggle to get people to want to work for you is an enigma
most business owners wrestle with. I have isolated successful methods
through growing my multi-million dollar company from the ground up. In my
experience it all comes down to how you want to be treated. I was raised
in a lovey-dovey family where my parents wanted me to feel great about
myself. Maybe it is because I was raised Jewish and all Jewish mothers
think their children are superior - who knows... Whatever the reason, I
grew up hearing and believing I could do anything.
That kind of
confidence instilled in me led me to believe that I could instill that
confidence in others. When I first started out I could not afford to hire
expensive help and found the most successful type of personnel for my
business were young, inexperienced adults in their late teens that had an
abundance of willingness. And I do mean an abundance of it - in my
viewpoint, there is no better commodity.
A Little Bit Goes a Long Way
My Senior Vice President over Operations and Quality Control who now
manages six other executives and a colossal number of employees was only
19 years old when she started with me. Now she is 27. She had that
willingness, but virtually no experience. I recall then that she wanted
$10.00 per hour. I would only give her $9.00 but I gave her an incentive -
to prove to me she was worth it before I consented to that kind of pay
(which was a lot of money to me at the time). She did so well that I gave
her $11.50 per hour within two weeks of her hire date.
That little bit extra that I did went a long way. She took notice and
she consistently proved to me that she could do even more. That was the
first time I noticed that rewarding your employees for hard work really
paid off. Today, she makes a six-figure income and earns every penny.
I love to validate and reward the staff - it is a driving force of mine
in my company. We have an "employee of the month" that gets company
recognition and a designated parking space as well as an "employee of the
year" that gets a three-day trip to the Big Apple, plus spending money.
Not to mention the runner up gets no short shrift. And my employees work
their tails off for those coveted prizes, but mainly for the pride they
feel after doing so well. The stipulations are that they go above and
beyond the call of duty and really set great examples for the rest of the
group. I've never seen such stellar work from staff at other companies
that don't acknowledge and don't reward - I know because I used to work at
them.
More Freedom = More Responsibility
A major factor in increasing the responsibility level of the employees
is giving them more freedom and responsibility. If you do, they will own
their position. The best employees are those that really take ownership of
their position and run it like it was their very own company. You may
think that it is a bit precarious to let someone run their area like it
was their own company because what if they took it way off course from
what you had designed where that organization would go? Well, I found that
the more freedom I gave my executives to do the job the way they thought
it should be done based on their understanding of the company's goals,
they became even better at what they did. That really opened my eyes. It
was like the circle of life - they would do better and better to warrant
the responsibility I had given them.
Another manager of mine is a great example of this. When she first came
to work for me, she didn't necessarily make me feel confident that she
could do the job - but she sure was willing. And I have a philosophy about
just throwing them in and seeing if they can make it go right or die
trying.
She impressed me. She did a great job over and over again. I couldn't
help but acknowledge and validate her. She was only 18 years old when she
started working for me and I was so amazed how well she did her job - she
was neat, tidy, systematic and never made mistakes - so I told her how
great she was all the time. The end result? This shy girl just blossomed
into one of my fifteen executives who has several subordinates and runs a
tight ship.
So, I learned that the way I should treat people is the way I like
being and have been treated. I know it's the Golden Rule that many of us
have heard or read, but I learned to apply this in regards to staff and it
works well for me. I grew up knowing that it works from the recipient end.
I used it later in business and learned how much it really empowers others
when you tell them they can - it becomes instinctive. Application of that
in the corporate world brings out the natural abilities of the people you
bestow that confidence in. Their abilities really start to shine through.
I remember another girl that worked in my company in the early days.
We'll call her "American Mary" (she chose that nickname herself) even
though that's not her name. She wasn't a real fast duplicator or speedy at
comprehending; but I learned that if I wanted to work with her, I had to,
in essence, "Be" her. Incidentally, a marketing principle that helps a
graphic designer attain a better idea of what kind of design will "pull"
(get responses) for a totally alien industry to that said designer is to
learn to "Be" the recipient of the direct mail piece. Once someone learns
to assume the views and ideas of the recipient, then he can design
something that will elicit a reach - a call or an order, etc. This
principle also applies to employees. "American Mary" could not work with a
certain person in my company because he would not tolerate her slowness.
He couldn't or wouldn't understand what it was like to be her. So, he
barked his orders as fast as he usually did and he got nowhere. On the
other hand, I would just "Be" her. I'd slow it down, be really kind, maybe
draw a map for her even if she had been there five times before...and she
would do anything for me. And she'd make sure she'd do a perfect job if
she knew it was for me. Even today, she still calls me from Europe every
now and then just to say hello.
Ask Not What I Can Do For You...
It all comes down to the point of exchanging properly with an employee;
and that's a tough one to balance. The person has to bring in a return to
the company. With my employees and my executives, I start at what I can
afford to pay them. I provide them an atmosphere where they can prosper by
giving them the freedom to do the job themselves - always observing that
they have the willingness as the biggest factor. In the initial interview
process, I tell them the truth: "I expect the world. You are expected to
give 110% and take pride in a job well done. You give to me first and then
I'll exchange back with you." And I do. I demand a lot. And when they
deliver and go above and beyond what I expect, I give back to them over
and above what they expect. It's that circle of life concept I was talking
about earlier.
Another example of how to apply this is to spread their accolades
through word of mouth. I don't ever plan this; I just may be talking to my
PR about one of my designers and I just say how great that designer is
doing - and guess what? Next thing you know that designer has heard about
it. That really does something for the person you are praising. They know
you think they are great at their job and that really makes them want to
work even harder for you.
Loyalty Pays Off
The President of my company, Jennifer Custer, is a gem. I recall one
day her mother asking me what the gross income was for the week. She said
she wanted to know so she could predict what kind of weekend she was going
to have. I didn't understand - what did this have to do with her weekend?
I found out; Jenn was not fun to be around when the company's revenue was
down. I learned from her mother that she wanted so badly to make it, for
me and the company, that when she did not, she really felt down. I never
thought that she wore her duties that personally.
To instill that kind of loyalty you have to be loyal. When somebody
flows me a lot of help in a particular area, I never forget it, I never
disconnect from that. I have someone that was with me that has been with
me from the beginning. She was a "Doubting Thomas" and would comment
behind my back that I "sure had a big pipe dream in regards to growing the
company." But she was really good at her post - her division does a lot of
production in that area and she runs it well. They are result driven and
have deadlines that would even try the patience of Job. It would have been
hard to replace her, plus she had been with me so long. Once my President
found out that she was negating my dreams to others, she addressed it and
that person never did it again. But I never held onto that as a grudge. In
fact, I ended up giving her a raise above what her position was worth in
our geographical area. In my opinion, she had warranted it - the good she
constantly did surely outweighed her verbal negativity. She was with me a
long time and truly developed her area. I never disconnected from her
because she helped me, despite her verbal transgression. Not only did she
make amends for what she has ever said about me, she would never naysay me
or my company again, and now she'll probably never leave me. So always
take a look at what the staff member DOES (as opposed to says), regardless
of the appearance.
Lastly, I think it's important and warrants mentioning that I want my
employees to enjoy their time here at work. I've had a few jobs where I
hated going in to work in the morning and couldn't wait until the end of
the day. Although I've learned that ultimately I am responsible for my
condition in life - at work and at home - I could also notice things that
existed in the workplace that were surely less than optimum. I wished that
there was some person to tell, someone that would listen and be able to do
something about it. You need to make sure that your executives and
employees know you are their friend and know that you genuinely care about
them. You will build a juggernaut like I have and your executives will
carry forward your ideals to the rest of your crew.
About the Author
Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998, her only assets a computer
and a phone. By 2005 the company did over $12 million in sales, employed
over 100 people and made Inc. Magazine's prestigious Inc 500 List as the
one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the nation. She attributes her
explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate
marketing savvy. Visit www.postcardmania.com
