One Simple Rule To Greater Business Success

• Those who have run organizations in which their employees are proud to be a member of the company, however, know that apathy isn’t a necessary growing pain as companies evolve and scale-up.
• Having pride in the company you work for is extremely important.
• Is there a tangential field related to your industry that would allow you and your team to give back and make your mission more meaningful?

The stereotype of bored and disengaged employees, popularised by great films such as Office Space, is so prominent in our culture that it’s easy to assume it’s to be expected on some level. If you think along these lines, you’ll see a jump in apathy as your company grows, because new employees are just searching for a method to make a living, unlike the early core members of an organisation who were prepared to take risks in order for the company to develop and survive as reported by Forbes.

Company goals

Those who have run organizations in which their employees are proud to be a member of the company, however, know that apathy isn’t a necessary growing pain as companies evolve and scale-up.

In fact, making employees proud to be a member of the company may be the secret weapon we need to keep engagement levels sky-high, even as our companies grow and expand.

Research (purchase required) has shown that proud employees will adopt the company’s goals as their own, rather than focusing on their individual success within the company.

By instilling in your employees a sense of pride for the work they’re accomplishing, you can create a real tribe of people united by a common mission, rather than a group of individuals jostling for a sense of stability within an organization that they feel no loyalty to and that seems distant from their own personal identity. 

Impact on society 

Having pride in the company you work for is extremely important.

Yet knowing that making your employees proud to be a member of your company is important is one thing, but actually making them proud is another.

Your organization has to be performing in such a way that is deserving of pride, such as having a positive impact on society, which was found to have instilled company pride in 46% of workers in one survey.

It’s also important that your employees perceive your company as having an enduring and unique vision that is the hallmark of your brand.

The truth is, all legitimate companies are helping people fulfil some kind of need or desire, so even if our contributions seem abstract at first glance, it’s important to highlight why our companies are important and put that front and centre so that all team members have it at the forefront of their minds. It’s also important to consider ways to add more potential sources of employee pride to your organization that make sense for your field, so let’s look at a few suggestions from my own experience to get you started. 

1. Customer and client engagement

Getting your team engaged and face to face with your customers or clients can give them a direct line to what your company is working for.

It’s difficult to feel proud of the work you’re doing when you’re completely disconnected from the people your efforts are serving.

In our real estate company, some of our investments are development projects that require many community meetings where the members of the neighbourhood can weigh in on what’s important to them, so we can find solutions that keep people happy while still bringing in new families to the neighbourhood.

We’ve found that having our team members on these calls, even if they’re not directly involved with neighbourhood outreach, is extremely important to maintaining group cohesion and helping everyone see the real-world impact our company is having.

2. Adopt meaningful missions 

Are there areas related to the industry you’re in that allow you to meaningfully give back to society?

While this may not be possible in every field, there’s likely to be ways that you can leverage your organization’s expertise to help people above and beyond your original purpose.

For our company, we came into the industry as apartment building investors and developers, but over time we saw the tremendous affordable housing crisis brewing in this country and opened an affordable housing development branch of our organization.

Is there a tangential field related to your industry that would allow you and your team to give back and make your mission more meaningful?

3. Donations and giving 

Another way to make your company’s mission more meaningful, even if the nature of your business doesn’t easily lend itself to giving back to your community in a direct way, is opening or partnering with a nonprofit that has a direct mission to make an impact and change people’s lives.

In our case, we founded a nonprofit called the Lucky Puppy Society that assists families who cannot afford expensive but necessary surgeries to save their dogs’ lives.

The organization gets a percentage of the profits we make from our rental properties and development jobs each year.

Many of our investors have also independently become supporters of the group as well.

Remember that this is one of the beautiful things about humankind — we’re wired to want to help and make a difference, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Source: Forbes

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