This week, I had the pleasure of speaking at a Convene networking event in Portland, OR, on the Essential Nature of Leadership Relationships. As always, networking groups are a tremendous source of information and inspiration; this event was no exception. While discussing retention—one of today's most pressing topics—Kevin Relyea, the group chair, made a statement that stopped me in my thoughts. He said, "What would our company have to be like to get you back to work after winning the lottery?" Now, that is the one, ten, or even 500-million-dollar question!
We can only get it right with the right people; retention is about keeping them. Why do people keep showing up for work after they've decided to join your organization? Kevin's question struck at the heart of what we all need to consider: Employees come to work for one of two reasons—to transact or to transform. They are there for a paycheck, or they are there to pay back, to grow and make an impact, to evolve themselves or the enterprise.
Here's the key: while businesses and leaders come and go, values and vision endure. Take, for example, the disciples after Christ's crucifixion. What if they had folded and stopped spreading His teachings because He was no longer physically among them or found another Rabbi? Or think of Tremendous Leadership. Coming up 16 years after my father, our founder Charles 'Tremendous' Jones, passed away, what if we had forgotten the tremendous legacy he built? There's no shortage of incredible speakers and books out there to consume. What made the disciples keep coming back? What makes you keep coming back?
The difference between situational compliance and immutable commitment is transformation. It's not enough for people to clock in and out; they need to be driven by the mission, where the organization's calling becomes a part of their DNA—an integral and collective heartbeat that beats even in the leader's absence, irrespective of carrots and sticks. To stop would be to deny their purpose.
So, let me ask you, as I'm now asking myself: What does Tremendous Leadership need to be to continue engaging our tremendous tribe for the next 16 years? What must your organization be like to retain your talent long after you're gone, or if they don't have to come to work out of necessity?
The secret to retention lies in transformation. Give your people the opportunity to evolve, to become something greater long after the initial job or mission is over. After all, we don't grow businesses, churches, ministries, or nonprofits; we grow people. As Charlie "Tremendous" Jones wrote in the Life-Changing Classic The Three Therapies of Life, people are one of them!
