Everything starts and ends with your people

A few months ago, Todd Bowman kindly sent me a book that I have found impactful and a wonderful resource for any leader who wants to transform their business. I absolutely loved Paul Sarvadi’s book, Take Care of your People: The Enlightened CEO'S Guide To Business Success. Sarvadi is co-founder and CEO of Insperity, a professional employer organization. The following are excerpts I want to share with you. I’ve just scratched the surface here, I encourage you to buy the book and dig in for yourself.

It’s all about human capital

One of the most important roles a CEO plays is a behavioral scientist. The function of leadership is to guide, support, and inspire the people, the organization’s most valuable assets. It’s all about human capital and it’s what I focus on in my Nice Method consulting and presentations.

There are five major strategic areas that are key to any organization’s success: sales, finance, operations, technology, and human capital.

You can come up with a visionary new idea, but if it lacks the processes or systems to implement it, nothing will come of it. The same can happen when a systematic process of technology is developed independently of strategy; if the process or technology is disconnected from a broader goal or vision, it simply does not serve a purpose.

The culture sets the tone for the company

Every company has a corporate culture, whether it’s by accident or by design. The culture is either purposefully and strategically developed by the leadership to support the company’s mission, or it’s left to chance and naturally evolves on its own. Whatever the case, the culture is a living, breathing thing that strongly impacts individual and corporate performance.

Corporate culture is like the oil in an engine. It’s not a mechanical component or moving part of the engine, but rather the lubricant that allows it to run smoothly and effectively. The culture sets the tone for the company, and it defines how the organization treats employees and how employees should act toward each other, the customers, vendors, and other stakeholders.

Creating a mission statement and set of values alone will not help a company build the culture it seeks; rather, an ongoing series of actions and programs, supported by a strong commitment at the top level, bring culture into being.

One of the best ways to evaluate your company’s culture is to simply ask the employees, “What’s it like to work here?” Listen to their answers, adapt, make changes, and ask again. Read their reviews.

Discuss with your executive team the values you all hold dear. What drives you? What are you passionate about? These are your values, and this is where the company culture lives.

The Insperity Fund

Insperity has an employee-benevolence program that is anonymously funded by employees, for employees. It is confidentially managed by a third-party organization, employees who need emergency financial assistance can draw on the support of The Insperity Fund, which is subsidized by the generosity of other Insperity employees. This program has raised $3.3 million, which has helped nearly four hundred people pay for necessities such as utilities, mortgages, and car repairs. The fund has been a godsend for those who needed it, and for those who have supported it, a way of reaching out and reinforcing valued personal connections with their fellow workers. Insperity also contributed 1 million to support the 65 corporate families displaced by Hurricane Harvey.

Hiring without a job description is like going grocery shopping without a list.

Everyone you hire from top to bottom represents the company’s brands. Unhappy employees tend to make unproductive employees. If they see you enjoying yourself at work, that enjoyment tends to be contagious.

Most organizations actually don’t have a recruiting strategy or hiring philosophy. The recruiting process should start with a strategic plan that includes key traits and attributes you would like to see in your employees in general.

Hiring without a job description is like going grocery shopping without a list. Provide team members with a copy of their job description. Have them sign it. The total performance of a company is the sum of the performance of the individuals who work within it.

How’s your culture? Do you know? I recommend picking up a copy of Take Care of your People for more ideas.