The Person You Don’t Want in your Company

by admin on November 17, 2017 in Employment

 

David Novak, former CEO of YUM! Brands shares his insights on the one employee you NEVER want working in your organization. He recounts his story here. Conducting a roundtable when he was running operations for Pepsi Co, he asked frontline employees for their opinions on a matter of things including what they were seeing and learning. At one sitting he discovered story after story about an employee named Bob. His colleagues raved about what Bob had taught them and how much they had learned. Bob was clearly an asset, but to Novak’s surprise, Bob was also sitting at the table, in tears. In 47 years of service at Pepsi Co, Bob had never heard any of this type of feedback from his co-workers, managers, or anyone.

Shares Novak “Bob told me that he had been working for the company for 47 years, and during that meeting was the first time he had heard how his colleagues felt about him. It was the first time he felt appreciated. So, no, I don’t want anyone like Bob to feel that way ever again. That’s when I realized we had to really focus on the power of recognition. It catapulted me into thinking that no matter what I do, and where I go, at any company or team I lead, recognition will be at the top of our values. No one should ever feel like Bob.”

No matter what your company actually produces, there are plenty of naturally occurring opportunities for recognition, The top 3 are listed here:

People giving their best effort. Sometimes problems and projects just won’t budge. Although this happens from time to time, watching your team give it their best effort deserves to be recognized.

People accomplished a goal. Progress can take many forms, and sometimes looking at the short or long game will give you opportunities to reward properly for accomplishments.

People are celebrating a milestone. The people that work with you or for you aren’t just working to buy more stuff – they are giving the time they have on this earth to your goals  – time they will never get back. When you see an anniversary, give it the attention it deserves.

The people you don’t want working for you are those that feel unappreciated, undervalued, and unrecognized. Don’t let someone go their entire career, or any portion of it, without the recognition they deserve for their commitment to your goals.