How has it been going lately as a leader in today’s economy?
Everywhere I go there still seems to be an echo chamber about how it’s harder than ever to find good help, and that it’s impossible to keep up with customer demand - if you’ve got it!
Not being able to keep up with demand seems like a good problem to have on one hand.
On the other, running your teams at capacity while your customers struggle to be patient for results means your company is spinning its wheels without any chance to scale or really compete.
This also means, that working at your company probably sucks.
So, today I want to talk about running your business like a Cult:
Yes, you heard me right!
Just mind the wording here. I said, ‘like’ a cult.
Honestly, the word gets a bad rap. It’s just short for culture.
Some powerful examples you’re already acquainted with a range from being a sports fan to being a fashionista.
This phenomenon is what brings people together and drives them to do unreasonable things for something bigger than themselves.
Workplace culture everywhere tends to suffer because most leaders are actually clueless about how this works and tend to secretly rely on getting lucky when the ‘right’ person comes through the door for an interview.
Say nothing about truly motivating someone that’s been dragging in performance or when someone acts like they’re going to quit.
But before you start ranting about how employees can’t change or ‘It is what it Is’ - consider that it’s just as hard to work for you as it is for you to run your company. There’s a real connection.
So pay close attention here as I dive into how to make running your company 10x easier for everyone.
Even if you think your company is too small for this - remember that Starbucks started with one cafe just like any other coffee shop.
Even if you hate public speaking or connecting with relative strangers at work - keep in mind that Steve Jobs was a horrible communicator, far meaner than you, and he still created one of the most profitable businesses ever.
And especially if you believe that making people feel comfortable in the workplace is going to help retain talent.
Which leads me to ask you - Is everyone on your team on the same page? Are they in alignment?
We’re not talking about the routine day-to-day operations here.
If I asked one of your people what the big vision is at your company and they gave me a wishy-washy answer and you’re usually trying to make your employees comfortable, then I gotta tell you that they don’t give a shit.
Seriously.
Your job is to put a fire under people’s asses by leveraging the power of Crisis.
Although it’s not always cool being the one constantly bringing up bad news, the crisis is your land of opportunity and it commands people’s attention.
Politicians know this, marketing people know this and now I hope you’re super clear about it, too.
The more you bring up the crisis your biz works to solve, the more people will be inspired to action. Remember - Red Sox fans hate to lose.
What’s the turnover rate at your company right now?
The Great Resignation is not a permissible excuse anymore if you ask me.
In fact, in times like these, it’s clear that money isn’t everything for employees.
I’m not just talking about the benefit of Working From Home.
People are motivated by pay and work-life balance to an extent but what really gets causes folks to stick around long-term is the sense of growing in value on the job.
People might quit for different reasons but when they know that in 2 years, let’s say, they will be 25% more valuable to you or anyone else, then there’s motivation baked into their sense of opportunity and a natural sense of belonging.
This is why I’m telling you to run your biz like a cult.
One that fears a static workplace where someone’s just a cog in the machine.
Imagine your company with a kind of Growth Academy at its core and I’ll show you a company that never struggles to expand or compete because of a shortage of help.
One of the biggest reasons I see that business leaders and managers struggle or fail is that they lack high-level coaching skills.
Even if you’re already aware of what I’ve been talking about above, I bet you still struggle to communicate with people in your team.
You can have the best product or service in the world but if your communication skills are no better than those you bring on the team then you’ll always be doomed to limited success.
Don’t believe me?
Perform an honest check-in with yourself right now.
If you often complain, lose your cool, or argue with employees you’re setting the stage for imitative behavior.
Behind your back, they will act quite a bit like the ‘boss’.
Just like there’s no such thing as a bad kid, only parenting that needs improvement…
There’s no such thing as a bad employee.
There, that’s it! I hope you enjoyed this.
If you wanna learn more, I highly suggest working with a pro like me.
The framework I’ve laid out here is a jumping-off point for any kind of organization.
I’m your partner for making it work for you ~ find me on Facebook or LinkedIn.
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