Open the backdoor and increase productivity
Attracting and retaining talented employees is currently top of mind for many organisations. The labor market is not expected to cool off any time soon. And this is not temporary. In the long run, demographics are changing according to a recent article from The Economist. The average birth rate per woman dropped from 2.7 in 2000 to 2.3 today and is still dropping. While 2.1 is the replacement rate necessary for a population to stay flat.
Therefore, attracting and retaining your people will only become more important in the years ahead. And is going to continue to be a top priority for every leadership team, not only for HR! If you want to grow and create future value, you better prioritize this.
So, do you know what really is the current mindset of your people? Do you really know why they are coming to work in the morning at your place? Do you know to what extent they feel aligned with your company direction? Do you know if they are perhaps dreaming of a different life? Are they looking for another employer? Are they at risk and vulnerable if a recruiter contacts them right now? Whatever the answers are, it is better to know than the be in the blind.
But the reality is: many companies stick their head in the sand. Yes, they do offer some development initiatives to their people. They invest in people’s leadership skills and in their professional development. And that’s great, but they don’t work with their people to understand what really keeps them awake.
The elephant-in-the-room question for the leadership team is: what if I offer my people some kind of purpose coaching or guidance? I invest and they will leave as a result? No thank you. But the opposite is true. Yes, it’s perhaps a bit counter intuitive. But look at this this way: if you don’t do it, they will go look for it somewhere else, and then you have even less control over the process. And, if you don’t offer this, your people will go to employers that do. This is confirmed by research. It's naive to think that, if you don't discuss it, it doesn't exist. People are hungry for development opportunities. They expect it from their employer.
Yes, some people will leave your company sooner or later. But they would have left anyway! And for all the rest: it will give you an opportunity to match, future, job openings to your people’s deep desires. This leads to increased productivity. And, they are now more motivated than ever. Win win. Your attractiveness as an employer increases.
Make your business more sticky by opening the back door. Sticking your head in the sand and hope it will blow over is not a good strategy!
Hope this inspires.
Paul Donkers
Let us know if you are ready to have a confidential conversation with one of my colleagues or me about this. As many of you know, one of my global projects is the Ikigai Coaching Institute. Ikigai provides a wonderful framework to discuss (daily) purpose with people and the companies they work for. Through our institute and our global footprint, we're uniquely positioned to lead global (Ikigai) projects with and for you.
Paul P.J. Donkers is a sought-after global business coach and management consultant. More about his work and projects can be found via www.tencompany.org and via www.ikigaicoachinginstitute.com
Paul and his partners work since decades with leaders to assist them create more value. If you want to have a confidential conversation, just reach out to us via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
