Employees are People Too!

What a force! It was so inspiring meeting Anne and talking about her journey to becoming the Triangle CEO of the year! She is such a visionary and principled person and I love how doing what you believe, even if it is not what everyone else is doing (or what makes sense to your accountant), leads to amazing profits, a devoted team, and even recognition for what you have created.

I think as employers it is our job to see the people that work for us as human first and employees second. We need to realize that they are bringing their history, beliefs, needs, and insecurities with them into the office - we all do! We need to recognize that, capitalize on those differences, and provide growth opportunities within our organizations so people feel supported, valued, and a sense of belonging where they work. If your office is anything like mine, I am sure you spend way more time with your work family than your home family - and who doesn’t want to feel all of those things the majority of the time ?!

It is an amazing feeling to know that you have created an environment where someone can grow into a position that is the best fit for them and they can find true happiness in that role. 

It really challenged me to think about what we are doing, even though I think we do a lot, and what we could add as our infrastructure grows. Being more profitable SHOULD mean more benefits and personal growth opportunities for those who got you there….They SHOULD feel their value and worth first at humans BECAUSE they work for you. It was so aspirational and a motto that I think all companies powered by human beings should adopt.

I can’t help but think what we all could accomplish in business and in our communities if we structured our companies, like Anne, around how we can best serve our employees - who in turn, serve our clients.