Mercenaries or Missionaries?

The biggest difference between them is WHY they work for you.

Is it for the paycheck or does it have a lot more to do with your mission and culture?

Mercenaries are indifferent. They will do what they’re told and even put up with a bad culture, until a better offer comes along. Then, they’ll leave without a second thought. It’s just business.

Missionaries want to make the world (and your company or department a better place). They care about leaving people, places and things better than they found them. It’s personal.

Here’s an example… Running Shoes

You can go to a big box store and find a “mercenary” employee in that department, who doesn’t run at all, but can go check to see if there is a shoe in your size in the back storeroom. For FIFTY CENTS more an hour, they’ll quit (without notice) and work for another box store doing the same old thing. It’s just business.

By contrast, you could go visit a specialty running store, like where I bought my last pair of running shoes (some Brooks trail running shoes that make me feel like I’m running on clouds) and it is very likely you will be greeted by a running enthusiast (at a bare minimum), an outstanding high-school runner, or collegiate All-American who is passionate about helping their customers. Thanks TC Running Company (St. Paul/Minneapolis Metro)!

THOSE employees are there for more than a paycheck and they know that their customers want to run fast, run far and avoid injuries. It’s about more than shoes and gear. To them, it’s about what their customers can DO with it all. They care about helping people make progress toward their goals. To them, it’s NOT just business, it’s personal.

So…. what kind of employees do YOU want serving YOUR customers and co-workers? What are you doing to attract them? What are you doing to keep them?

#shrm #hr #humanresources #leadership #businesstips #workforcealchemy #workforcealchemychallenge #masonduchatschek #businessmanagement