Employees in for-profit companies rarely believe in the cause of the organization. The rare exceptions are those like Patagonia, where the owner is focused on environmental issues and makes products that support that mission; or Panda Express, a fast-food Asian chain where the owner gets personally involved in promoting the organization’s workplace culture; or Nike, a lifestyle company centered around athletics and health; or Tesla, Apple, Mirage, and others. All have or had charismatic leaders who identified with their brand, customers, and employees. The bigger and more corporatized the organization, the less that happens.
And then there are non-profits, built around ideology and mission, whose founders are like missionaries. Jon Ponder’s Hope for Prisoners is built around helping ex-felons successfully re-enter society, families, and their careers. And CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is focused on helping foster kids make it successfully through a system that seems stacked against them. The key to all of these are the leaders whose lives and missions are intertwined; they do it because it’s their calling and they inspire their colleagues and employees to feel the same. Their engagement is contagious. Not surprisingly, employees in those companies give back to their communities through volunteerism and other charitable acts.
If you care about something, weave it into workplace programs like recruiting, onboarding, training, reward and recognition programs, performance reviews, and more. Let your employees know what’s important and encourage them to get engaged today.
Dr. Paul Marciano is a leading authority on employee engagement and respect in the workplace. He helps organizations cultivate, manage, and grow their human capital through targeted behavioral solutions.
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