Recently, I listened to an episode of The Art of Manliness Podcast with Brett McKay. He was interviewing the lead pastor of one of the largest mega-churches in Oklahoma. When asked what causes people to stay in a church, the pastor said the formula was simple:
People want to feel needed and known.
Now in my business, I don’t worry about filling seats in a church. We focus on keeping good employees from running off to a competitor. That same principle applies here too:
People want to feel needed and known.
Needed
We could substitute the word WANTED here too. People want to know that they serve a purpose, provide a valuable service, or possess an important skill. Yes I know there are some people who just want to come to work, do their job, and go home, but down deep inside I believe they want to know that what they do is appreciated. And valued.
What are you doing as The Boss to make people feel needed? Here are some suggestions:
- “We could not do ______ without your expertise”
- “How did you get so good at ________?”
- “It would take 3 people to replace what you do for us around here”
- “I hope you enjoyed your vacation but believe me, your contribution was missed!”
Known
One of the sweetest things a person hears (at least I’m told), is the sound of their own name. Even if they tell you otherwise, people want to know they are seen and heard. And acknowledged. The first commanding officer I had in the Navy, the CO of NAVCOMMSTA Harold E. Holt in Exmouth, Western Australia, Captain Pete Roder, knew every one of his 300 sailors by name., first and last and nickname too. And rank, even when junior ranks weren’t seen on our enlisted working uniform. He knew when you advanced from E1 to E2, a fairly insignificant promotion but important to the holder nonetheless. I still think about what a great CO he was. You felt KNOWN around him.
What are you doing as The Boss to make people feel known? Here are some suggestions:
- “Mack, welcome to the team!”
- “Mack, I just heard about what you did that dazzled our best customer. Nice work!”
- “Mack, Happy Birthday!”
- “Mad Mack (nickname), what did you think about last night’s episode of Breaking Bad?”
Being needed and known is important and the solutions are fairly easy and work if done consistently.
What will you do this week to make your people feel needed and known?