Enhancing Organizational Success Through Employee Fulfillment

By Cheryl L. Mason, J.D.

Today’s employees, regardless of their generation, are redefining professional success. These employees have found that prioritizing their personal productivity does not fulfill their needs or sense of purpose. They need to understand the why and how of their actions and how they affect others or the organization.  Their perspective is that work should enhance and fulfill their lives, but NOT dominate it.

As a leader, your resources are vital. But there is one resource that is more valuable than the others because this resource can drive the success or failure of your organization. 

And almost all leaders have this resource in common and it is also the secret ingredient to leadership.

Do you know what this resource, this secret ingredient is?

Are you investing in this resource, developing this resource, and working to make the most of this resource or

Are you wasting it?  Do you use this secret ingredient in your processes and your decisions?

Your most valuable resource are the people of your organization, without them you cannot succeed. The people of your workforce need to know they matter to you!

What are you doing to show them? How are you utilizing them? Are you strategically allocating your time, technology, and finances to maximize the benefits for them, or are you overlooking your most valuable assets, thereby incurring higher costs in both time and money?

Building Strong Relationships

Building strong relationships and investing with your employees is the secret ingredient needed for organizational success.

The modern workforce demands visible and engaged leaders. Employees want to know that their leaders are human beings with the same challenges as them. As a leader, it is crucial to recognize that your actions and decisions have a lasting impact on both employees and the organization.

Getting Acknowledgement and Recognition Right

In today’s world, competition for top talent is fierce and employee engagement is paramount.  And recognizing, and valuing employees has never been more important.

Employee recognition isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have for any organization. And it cannot be delegated to Human Resources (HR). 

If your organization and you as a leader want to cultivate a positive workplace environment and achieve significant impact on morale, productivity, and organizational culture, then you must engage and recognize your employees.

One of the tools is acknowledgement.  Now some will say this is feedback and it might be in certain circumstances, but acknowledgement is about knowing and appreciating your team’s efforts and achievements. A leader’s reactions are significant, and your words carry weight. These words and actions convey that you see and know what your employees are doing and that it makes a difference. Specific acknowledgement demonstrates that an employee is seen, heard, and valued by the leaders of the organization.  It makes them feel valued and seen!

And when you as the leader recognize employees for their specific actions and achievements, the effect on morale and productivity is almost immediate.

How can a leader Effectively Recognize Employees

1. Be Specific: General praise is good, but specific recognition is better. Note the exact actions or behaviors that impressed you and explain why they made a difference to you.  And always, say “thank you!”

2. Relate Actions to Impact: Demonstrate how the employee’s actions positively affected colleagues, customers, or the organization.  I would showcase how these actions made an impact in the workflow or the results, thus emphasizing the impact of the contributions.

3. Public and Private Recognition: Personal praise is essential for employees as it builds their self-confidence, but public recognition amplifies this even more.  Celebrate achievements in team meetings, newsletters, briefing customers or stakeholders, or on social media.

As a chief executive officer, I looked for ways to support, thank, and celebrate my employees and their actions. I used town halls and ceremonies to highlight people’s efforts. We had above and beyond awards, team awards, and special contribution awards. Some had certificates, others came with small monetary amounts or time off.  I also encouraged colleagues to recommend others for awards. This was very successful and often meant much because its peer recognition that leadership supported.

At the end of the day, leaders must ask yourselves, are you doing everything possible to support and develop your most valuable resource: employees. Understanding the importance of leveraging resources through solid relationships with your workforce is key. Investing in your people with time, technology, and finances yields substantial results and saves you time and money in the long run.