Evolving from a Boss into a Leader
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Table of Contents (for previous chapters)
2. The Best Employees Are Happy Employees
The title of this chapter might seem painfully obvious but think about the jobs you’ve had right from your high school years up until now. Think of your bosses. How many were inspirational people who made you want to make them proud of you?
Now think about how many saw you only as a tool, while they thought it was only their own greatness that really mattered to the business.
The essential follow-up question is which kind of boss are you?
We talked in the introduction about how Howard Schultz put employees first and grew the Starbucks’ empire.
There is a way to get a leg up on building your company’s culture, to give you a head start – hire nice people.
It sounds super-simple, and it is.
But what if there’s a super-intelligent person applying for a job – but they’re also incredibly snarky and miserable to be around? Their competition for the position is a very nice person who doesn’t have nearly the resume of the first applicant. Wouldn’t I do better with Mr. Smarty-pants?
We can’t answer this one for you for sure, but consider this – what effect is that super-smart person’s attitude going to have on the rest of your employees? When you hire someone you’re not just hiring that person – you’re hiring every interaction they will ever have with you, your other employees, and with your customers.
Will your other employees suffer because you went with the snarky, miserable person? If so, then you will suffer, even if you never interact directly with the person again.
The second applicant on the other hand may very well act like a shot of adrenaline, boosting everyone else’s confidence and enjoyment at work – including your own. That means a boost to your company’s productivity and a boost to your bottom line.
In the end you’ll have to make the decision based on your own needs at the time, but we know who we’d rather be working with for the next five years.
“The people of Southwest have always been my pride, my joy and my love. Their indomitable dedication and esprit de corps have taken Southwest from a three-airplane dream to a 500-airplane reality.”
“Your employees come first. And if you treat your employees right, guess what? Your customers come back, and that makes your shareholders happy. Start with employees and the rest follows from that.”
– Herb Kelleher – Founder and former CEO of Southwest Airlines
