A short YouTube monologue in which a leader argues that companies must loudly communicate the purpose of employee development programs and set a clear expectation that employees should pursue personal growth. The speaker describes an onboarding practice (a personal call welcoming new hires), emphasizes accountability for growth, and contrasts fair pay with a culture that offers meaningful developmental experiences.
Chapters
I think the mistake that a lot of companies make is not programs that they implement, it's how they communicate them. Right? And if you're going to spend all this money and give all of this. Give all these resources and help people grow as human beings and become whole people, you have to be very, very vocal about what you're doing and why you're doing it. Every new employee who joins our company, they get a call from me, and I tell them two things. I say, congratulations and welcome. You are now a part of something bigger than yourself. I say, our little company has an outsized impact on the world, and you're a part of it. And I sort of share the vision and what they're joining. And then I tell every single one of them, I only have one expectation of you. I expect you to take yourself on. And I say to them, we will give you some of those resources, we will give you some of that education, and some of it you're going to have to do on your own. And whether you stay with us for a short term or long term, my expectation is that you leave here with the knowledge that you are a better version of yourself. Because you worked here even if you hated it here, you will leave here a better version of yourself. That is my expectation of you, that you take yourself on. And we hold people accountable to it. Like, when somebody's, you know, maybe having performance issues or behavioral issues, whatever, be like, this is a great opportunity to take yourself on. But the point is, we're very vocal about it, you know, And I think if you're going to spend the money on these programs, say, the reason we're doing this is because we fundamentally believe that we have a business and moral responsibility to help you grow, take advantage of it. You will get more here than probably any other job that's out there. And that's. That's. We're proud of that, that your job sure provides you a salary to have a living, and it provides you a place that. To challenge you and help you see the fruits of your labor. Those are great things. You'll get those at every job. But what we pride ourselves on, the culture that we're building, the place creating a place where you will feel like you're growing. And if you say those things, then people understand the method to the madness. I'm a great believer that you should always be communicating the context constantly, because it also makes people patient, because not every program is successful, and some of the programs take a while to bear fruit. So tell people what you're working on. Tell them that it takes patience. Tell them you're looking for volunteers and you'll find. We have found that a lot of our young people, they stick around because we've created a place that they know. They talk to their friends. They know that the kinds of things we give them and the kinds of experiences we let them have are pretty special. Pretty special. You have to pay people fairly, of course, but if you think you have to pay them the most simply to get the best talent, I love that banks are the most guilty of that. Why do you pay such exorbitant salaries? Because we need to get the best talent.
I mean, you're definitely getting the people who want the most money.
I don't know if you're getting the best talent.
Those things are not directly correlated. You have to pay people fairly for sure, but the best companies in the world pay very fairly. But they offer so much more than just the money.
