Allies on a tour of duty.
LinkedIn CEO Reid Hoffman and fellow entrepreneur Ben Casnocha wrote a book called The Alliance in which they argue that investing in your employees is good for both parties in the relationship. I could not agree more and have strived to live this principle throughout most of my career. Sadly, I have not seen consistency in the level of personal support for me. I suspect that many managers still do not consider it a critical endeavor to invest in talent beyond “today.”
Hoffman and Casnocha actually refer to providing opportunities for development as an obligation. Their suggestion for solving the problem employers face with wanting high output from employees who do not have a guaranteed long-term company commitment? Stop thinking of employees as family or free agents, and start thinking of them as allies on a tour of duty. LOVE IT!
Those who have worked with me the past several years tend to hear certain things over and over again. I hope they don’t get annoyed with repetition but I truly, truly, truly feel that talent is not everything: It is the only thing. Therefore, it is key to effectively empower employees to do their jobs, trust one another to be honest and upfront about success and failure, and to hold people accountable. These are the best ways to build a respectful organization that drives value. The Alliance framework reminds us that, even with the best intentions, companies must make changes. For instance, in each of my last three companies, we have had significant reductions in force that were not driven by weak talent as much as they were by financial constraints.
In environments of rapid change, employees must feel that there is benefit to their hard work. That there is benefit to the sometimes long hours. That the uncertainty and the added challenges that come with events like acquisitions and divestitures, when appropriately focused, can be tremendous improvements to their resume, their experience, and ultimately their futures.
Ok, so this is one of my favorite slideshares. Hope you get it as well.
Talent Matters!
Click here for the slide show – The Alliance: A Visual Summary from Reid Hoffman
What do you think?
Do you agree with the concept of a joint partnership on a tour of duty? Do you feel, as Hoffman and Casnocha, that it is critical to train and develop an employee, regardless of whether the training is good for your organization today or simply for the employee’s long-term value? As always, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Be well. Lead On.
Adam
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