Everybody understands that you're supposed to say 'our employees are our most valuable asset' to the point where, even if it's really true, they're not going to really trust you until you've earned that - same with customers.
I like having young assistants in my office; they have energy, and I spend time with them to make sure they understand what we're doing. By investing in them, I'm investing in the magazine. All over 'Vogue,' 'Teen Vogue,' and 'Men's Vogue,' there are people who have been through not only my office but also many other offices at 'Vogue.'
Employers who recognize the importance of investing in their workforce have a more productive workforce, a more efficient workforce, a more loyal workforce, less turnover, and, in the private sector, more profitable.
The great thing about David Poile and Nashville is they believe in the people that they hire and they stick with the people that they hire.
About half the people at Valve have run their own companies, so they always have the option not just to take a job at another game company, but to go start their own company. The question you always have to answer is, 'How are we making these people more valuable than they would be elsewhere?'
When you hire someone, you are investing in them.
At the end of the day, if I'm playing for a manager who I know cares about me, then I'm going to give more.
When leaders throughout an organization take an active, genuine interest in the people they manage, when they invest real time to understand employees at a fundamental level, they create a climate for greater morale, loyalty, and, yes, growth.
I pay people very, very well - probably more than I have to. But that costs me less money in the long run because I'm not having to constantly train somebody. I pay them enough that they don't go seeking a higher scale at the next restaurant.
You spend money on Internet connection for your employees. Why not spend money on the energy that fuels their brains?
The most important thing that we entrepreneurs have is our human capital. If we exhaust it, we make bad decisions.
In our works at Bethlehem and San Francisco, and all over the United States, I adopted this system: I pay the managers practically no salary. I make them partners in the business, only I don't let them share in the efforts of any other man.
I don't pay good wages because I have a lot of money; I have a lot of money because I pay good wages.
We let folks know we're interested in them and that they're vital to us. cause they are.
People actually aren't moving on from companies much more quickly than in the past, but there's a perception that they do, so companies are investing less in talent on the assumption that young employees won't stay long.
It's better to grow your employees, steer them into a place that they can learn and succeed, and want to work hard and be loyal, than to have a revolving door of employees. That's demoralizing.
The way I would measure leadership is this: of the people that are working with me, how many wake up in the morning thinking that the company is theirs?
Business leaders who openly acknowledge people's concerns about becoming obsolete and who invest resources in workers' growth can help create a nation of learners - and perhaps resolve some of the political chaos that's bubbling around us.
I'll take fifty percent efficiency to get one hundred percent loyalty.
I first learned of the value of employee stock ownership plans while representing Louisiana's 3rd congressional district, home of employee-owned Acadian Ambulance.
So we have a commitment to the business and to its people.
We treat the management-to-workforce relationship as very important and will continue to invest in that relationship.
You don't make a movie by yourself; you certainly don't make a TV show by yourself. You invest people in their work. You make people feel comfortable in their jobs; you keep people talking.
The basic principle which I believe has contributed more than any other to the building of our business as it is today, is the ownership of our company by the people employed in it.
Bottom line: If you can't spare some time to give your employees the chance to wow you, you'll never get the best from them.
