News
Does anyone care who you are as a company, or why you do what you do?
To answer simply. Yes!
According to Leigh Paulden, one of NZ’s top business growth consultants, having a clearly defined purpose is the first thing to get right for business success. Knowing, communicating and living your company purpose impacts every aspect of your business and connects with both your customers and staff. To attract and keep top talent, you need to give them a purpose for which to strive.
Very soon Millennials will be the biggest segment of the market both as consumers and employees. By 2025, Millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce. So, regardless of where you sit on the generation divide, you need to be paying attention to the things that will engage Millennials with your business.
Says Paulden, “Millennials look to work for and buy from companies with a purpose they connect with and understand.” Millennials have a drive and desire to make a difference and want to know the businesses they work for and buy from similarly have a bigger purpose in mind.
So how do you connect with the generation who are going to take your business to the next level?
Define and communicate your why.
You may have heard of famous author, inspirational speaker and consultant Simon Sinek. Sinek has made it his mission to teach leaders and organisations how to inspire people. It is his goal to help build a world in which the vast majority of people go home everyday feeling fulfilled by their work.
Now that’s the kind of goal we can all get behind, right? Nice ‘why’ Simon.
It’s no secret that people who have job satisfaction have better productivity, employee engagement, provide a better customer experience and increase profits. But Sinek also suggests that making Millennials feel valued and valuable, can help break the expensive trend of them changing jobs every 2-3 years on the hunt for the newest opportunity or challenge.
So how do you attract and keep people who will connect with your business for the long-term?
Define your purpose
It’s easy to say what you do, and even how you do it, but why you do it can sometimes be difficult to put into words. Spend some time brainstorming what motivates you to provide your particular services or products. “Making a difference” isn’t your why. It has to address a social issue. It can be a desire to provide incredible service, elegant design, simple solutions, or provide a solution to a customer group that has an unsolved problem.
Define your corporate values
This may already be part of your business plan. What are the attitudes and beliefs your business expects all their staff to embody both internally and when representing the company externally?
Develop your message
Your employees and customers alike will connect with a clear and consistent message that communicates your purpose and values. Examples are often found on the ‘About Us’ page of a website. Check out the Ryan story here. It incorporates our purpose of driving success for employers and job seekers.
Communicate it!
Make it part of your company culture and communicate it everywhere… on your website, in job descriptions and advertisements, social media etc. Everywhere you are, you should live and breathe your why. It’s painfully obvious when a brand isn’t being authentic. So make sure that your purpose, values and story are all consistent with any messages and behaviour of staff and management.
To attract and keep top talent you need to give them a purpose to strive for and provide an environment in which they can thrive.
Looking to attract top talent for your business? Give Ryan a call and let’s talk success.
