Last week we talked about supporting your employees’ dreams outside of work. One of the biggest demographics driving this trend is millennials; here in Portland, where we do our business coaching, millennials make up a huge percentage of the workforce. Companies often complain about this group, about how they care more about their own life purpose than their loyalty to the company. That might be true, but I can’t help thinking that it’s incredibly narrow-minded and foolish to complain about this. It’s is a good thing! I WANT my employees to be driven! I want to find out what they want to do, and I want to make sure they feel connected to that dream! When my employees are driven by a purpose, that’s when they’re doing their best work. When they’re driven by a purpose, I don’t have to try and motivate or threaten or micromanage them, which I never want to do. I’m busy; I have a company to run. They should want to be there, which they only ever will be if it’s connected to their purpose.
Companies complain that millennials are transient, but that trend’s not going away anytime soon. Why not leverage it, instead of whine about it? When your employees leave your company, remember: they’re either going to be a raving fan or a block to your sales. I want to build that tribe of raving fans. Is this employee going to be sending you customers for years to come, proudly proclaiming how much they loved working for you? Or are they going to tell everyone and their mom to avoid your product at all costs? Your relationship doesn’t stop the day they get their last paycheck.
The lifetime value of an employee after they leave is an unknown factor to most business owners, but it should be something you put in your ROI equation. Before you even hire anyone, you should be asking: When this person leaves, can I make them a raving fan? If you can’t make them a raving fan, don’t even hire them. Have a game plan in place before their first day of work. Trust me, if you don’t have a plan, it will end negatively — with hurt feelings and bad reviews. How many people will they tell that story to?! But if you’ve intentionally set up a game plan, you’ll be stoked that they’re leaving. You’ll be thrilled to have a transient disciple headed out into the world.
If you want to learn more about how to build a tribe of raving fans, click here.