Are You Running an Employee-First Company:
Customers come first, right? But what about if you put your employees right up there with your customers? Chances are they will feel more confident, rewarded and happy and therefore provide even better customer service!
Today, our CEO Shawn Burcham, tackles why PFSbrands is a employee-first company and how that is helping shape our future. From happier employees to more satisfied customers, check out why entitlements have no place in this employee-first company! [You can find his full article over at ShawnBurcham.com]
No "me" in an employee-first company
One of the great things about leading a fast-paced, high growth company is the ability to see people work hard and be rewarded with career advancement. At PFSbrands our mission statement starts with:
“We exist to empower our employees and allow them the opportunity to build their futures …”.
The Keys to Employee Advancement
At PFSbrands, everyone has the opportunity to excel. The key word here is opportunity.
In order to excel you have to consistently show a work ethic and the ability to constantly learn. You have to be willing to accept constructive criticism and improve your weaknesses.
More importantly, you must be able to recognize your strengths and constantly work to get better in these areas. Within every successful team there are individual contributors with different skill sets.
On a baseball team you don’t see too many catchers that can get up on the mound and pitch. Everybody has different abilities. As teams become larger and better, everyone must become more specialized. Finding your interests and strengths are critical to advancement.
If you are not satisfied with your current job the first thing you need to do is take a SERIOUS look in the mirror. Yes you heard me correctly, look in the mirror first.
Ask yourself the following:
- Am I doing everything possible to learn about our business?
- Am I doing everything possible to read, study, and seek out mentors that will improve my interaction skills?
- Am I working to be a leader, even though I do not have a “management” position?
- Am I working for a company that rewards work ethic, drive, and ability?
- Am I working for a company that simply rewards people for how long they have been employed?
The first thing you have to recognize is that you are not perfect. You have to adapt your personality to mesh with the people you work with and interact with. You have to adjust your approach to different individuals. You have to lead by example and stop complaining that you always get the “raw deal”. You have to stop thinking that you are entitled to things. People that accept entitlements may survive, but they will rarely ever excel. People that don’t work on themselves, will never excel. Invest in YOU first.
It’s Time to End Job Dissatisfaction
Dissatisfied with your current job? Find your way to show up at work EVERYDAY with a positive attitude.
Work to always be a pleasure to be around. Never get involved with the gossip and complaining. Begin surrounding yourself with other successful people. Begin surrounding yourself with other people with positive attitudes. Begin watching different leaders and modeling those that have a servant leadership style. Change YOUR approach with individuals that you may not particularly get along with each day. Finally, be patient. Change takes time, especially if others have a negative perception of who you are.
Positive attitudes are contagious. Success is contagious too! The first step in growing yourself is recognizing your flaws and deciding to improve yourself. You can continue to say “I can’t.” Or you can be like the Little Engine That Could and constantly say “I can”.
If you consistently say “I can”, if you have perseverance, and if you work hard, you WILL.
Wrap-Up
Strong and actionable words we can all live by in our everyday life! If you want to be challenged in the surroundings where you have an incredible opportunity to excel and grow all while having open business communication, check out our career page!
