Give them what they want? – that’s easy: an interesting, suitable job with good pay and conditions. But what do people need? – you ask. Isn’t it the same as what they want? Not necessarily – their deeply seated needs are rarely articulated in job applications. Knowing what they are, I propose, is the cutting edge for human resource management in your organisation.
Tony Robbins, a world-renowned personal development expert, suggests that every human being has six core needs they constantly seek to satisfy in life to the highest extent they can:
- Love and connection
- Certainty
- Variety
- Significance
- Growth
- Contribution
It is said that if you meet someone’s two core needs to a high level (80% or more), there is a connection. If you meet their three needs at that level – you create a bond. If however, you satisfy on a regular basis someone’s four or more core needs to a high extent – you’ve got their commitment and loyalty for life (they’ll never want to leave you!).
In my view, this concept perfectly encapsulates the win-win approach to the contemporary human resources management, which I propose as a simple, 6-step model that you can easily implement today in your organisation.
Consider:
Love and Connection
Give your employees the sense of belonging and genuine connection with the company: an open door policy for managers and executives, non-hierarchical attitude in social interactions, and broadly implemented, not only written, principles of workplace diversity that will help people feel more “at home”. Encourage socialising and cultural activities. Be interested in learning more about your people, while respecting the boundaries of their private life.
The message: You are one of us.
Certainty
This need is not only about job security of an individual employee, as it extends to the sense of stability and direction of the organisation. Frequent, staggered or poorly executed changes – strategic and tactical; weak leadership, lack of direction and forever evolving corporate messages will undermine the employees’ trust in the company strength and stability; in short – in its future. To meet this need of its staff, an organisation must have a clear vision, goals and plan, congruently executed at the executive level and across the ranks.
The message: We know where we are going – come with us.
Variety
Give your employees a range of tasks with varied levels of complexity. Break the monotony as it leads to boredom; from time to time abandon the routine and simply go with the flow. Encourage ideas and initiative, run brainstorming sessions; introduce different formats and venues for meetings. Create an engaging and stimulating work environment to the extent you can.
The message: We want to engage you in many different ways.
Significance
This need translates into regular, constructive feedback, appreciation, acknowledgement, recognition, reward, respect and genuinely valuing the individual’s work and their role in the organisation.
The message: You are valued.
Growth
Give your staff opportunities for promotion, a
cting at a higher level, sideways moves to gain new skills. Ensure they have challenging tasks and projects with responsibilities that stretch them from time to time. Encourage enrolments in personal and professional development training programs (depending on your budget). Be creative in the design of the Personal Development Plan template – it needs to be a living document, not dead!
The message: You can grow with us.
Contribution
Invite people’s feedback, comments and inputs in writing and in conversations. Be open to hear and consider different points of view, accepting them (when appropriate) as often as you can. Discover, utilise and trust people’s expertise gained in other jobs throughout their lives. Delegate fearlessly, don’t micromanage, give people the ownership of their patch of work.
The message: Your contribution is important.
Effective human resource management is really quite simple: Give people what they want and then give them what they need – to build a healthy, productive and holistic workplace whose market value and human capital will continue to grow.
Originally posted by Anna Anderson on the Quantum Mind Blog