Chester Elton

It’s a time-worn tradition: Before the battle, before the big game, a leader steps forward to rally the troops.
   
There’s a reason for that: It works. When people believe in themselves – and know someone else does, too, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.
   
Try this next time you assign a new task to a person or team: State out loud that you are sure the assignment can be completed. Then, express your confidence in the person or team who is taking on the assignment.
   
Be sincere. It’s important that you believe what you are saying. And remember, it’s ultimately your responsibility to help your team members achieve what you have assigned them, by providing resources and direction, if needed.

At a recent conference, I spoke to several business leaders about how they keep their competitive advantage. As you might guess, the conversation came back to their PEOPLE, time and again. They spoke of the importance to hire the right person and to quickly fire when there is a bad fit. We discussed how to develop talent and the leaders that will be needed to expand the business. Every one of them talked about the need to make time for training. Not just the training you need for the basics, like how to use the register or how to use the company email system and MS Excel, but training to ensure you are developing the RIGHT kind of people for the business you’re building.

Training was also referenced as a reward for great employees. For example: The company has standard training for on-the-job skills but then allows the employee 40 hours a year for training of their choice. What that means is if an employee wants to take a time management course and it fits into the work schedule and budget, it is approved. In fact, some leaders had a list of the kinds of training they would pay for, always leaving the door open to employee suggestions.

The results? Every leader mentioned that it helped not only in skill development but in employee loyalty and engagement. Nice bonus.

One of the leaders I talked to was Dan Campbell, the founder and CEO of Hire Dynamics in Atlanta. It is a strategy he uses and requires his people to do at least 40 hours of training a year. His benefit? His company is ranked as the best place to work in Atlanta. Cool eh?

Tip of the day:Training pays. Do you reward your people with training that makes them and you better? Do you ask for their input? Try it and see if you don’t start to develop better and more loyal leaders.

So, if Kruschev knew this, why didn’t communism fall sooner in the former Soviet Union? Hmmm. Maybe he needed an incentive to push him towards change.
   
The same goes for you. If you’ve been procrastinating your own revolution toward recognition, make yourself an offer you can’t refuse. If you’d love a massage, schedule one immediately after you do an awards presentation. You’ll feel better – and so will your staff.

Yes!

I’m based in New Jersey but I travel internationally a good number of times each year, working with organizations and speaking at leadership conferences to apply the Carrot Culture to overseas business models. As much as a Carrot Culture workplace is something most U.S., Canadian and U.K. workers are coming to expect from progressive organizations, it is not the norm in many other places I’ve visited. So when I received the following email the other day, I was so pleased to hear how receptive workers at a recruiting center in India were to a positive, rewarding work environment. They’re lining up at the door to get in, literally! This was from Hank Levine, President and CEO of iPlace, a global recruiting company.

A wonderful email from a business leader I met at the staffing Industry conference in Las Vegas last week. Read what he has to say about the power of a Carrot Culture.

Chester:

It was great to meet you and attend your keynote presentation and workshop at the Staffing Industry Analysts Executive Forum.  As we briefly discussed, we have implemented a “carrot culture” at our international recruiting center in India.  Very few Indian companies are run this way.  Most Indian companies have a very hierarchical structure were the CEO gives orders, seldom shares information or admits to not knowing something, and is hesitant to give out praise (employees are paid to do a task and if you praise them they will just want more money).  Our culture has paid huge dividends for iPlace in terms of attracting new employees and employee retention has been amazing.

Last week I interviewed a potential employee who told me, “I have talked with many of your recruiters and I want to work for iPlace.  If you do not make me an offer I am going to reapply in six months and if you still do not make me offer I will apply again in one year.  I will keep applying until you hire me.”  Wow!

On average, a night shift employee working in India lasts for six months.  Our night shift recruiters are retained an average of 25 months – over four times as long.
Our employees are fantastic and I would love to arrange for you to speak with them if you want some insights into how a carrot culture works in India.

Sincerely,
Hank Levine
President and CEO
iPlace USA

So what can we take from this? By giving due praise and recognition for worker’s achievements, managers at iPlace are able to retain their team members over four times longer than the competition. And they’ve got potential employees lined up, waiting to join the crew. I think this is a position we all wouldn’t complain about. And Hank’s doing it through the power of the Carrot. So identify those strong players that make you most successful and focus your efforts on retaining them; using the Carrot Principle is the best way I know of!

Check out iPlace for more in formation about Hank’s great company. Looks like you may be seeing me blogging from from India sometime in the future!

Tip of the day: Looking to retain your people? Try Carrots!

As you can probably tell, I love the Olympic Games. If you followed my tweets during the games, you know I was lucky enough to be at a couple hockey games, including watching my native Canadian team play. I love the excitement of the competition and the great lengths an athlete must take to achieve such a world-class level of physicality. And there are some great stories that come out of each Olympics. This year was no exception. I was very impressed by the graceful and elegant Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette, who performed her program despite the loss of her mother to a heart attach just two days earlier. I was thrilled by Lindsay Vonn’s gold medal in the women’s downhill. She was working through a bruised shin but did what she needed to do, despite what she described as “excruciating pain,“ and brought America it’s first gold ever in that event. And the list goes on.

There is always more to the story than what we see on television or read in the blogs. Our March newsletter shares what we can all learn from a small town in Nebraska that supported their own hometown hero on his quest for bobsledding gold. (And don’t forget to check out the Paralympic Games, going on through this week!)