How Stagnation Leads to Poaching…With Customers and Employees

Greatness chases greatness. Companies and leaders in continuous
pursuit of evolution (personal/company brand), worry more about
keeping up with demand then poaching.


 


On the flipside, those who hoard resources and acknowledgment
wind up losing their most precious assets to the competition.


 


Sitting in one of the nicest business clubs in Washington, DC,
just before the start of an event, Lena, a fellow businesswoman,
peeked over her computer and asked, “Excuse me, are you familiar
with LinkedIn?”


 


“I’m no expert,” I said, “but what do you need?”


 


“If I accept a connection request, can they see my list of
connections?”


 


“I think they can see who you’re connected to regardless,” I
said, “But I’m not certain. Why?”


 


“The person trying to connect with me is a competitor, and I
don’t want her marketing to my list. Should I accept the
invitation to connect?”


 


Lena’s question reminded me of the one I’d heard just the day
before, from a CEO of a company with a little more than 100
employees—“How do I praise (or even acknowledge) my team publicly
when doing so gives my competitors access to the names of my best
employees?”


 


There seems to be two valid perspectives on ‘competition’—


 
Beat them. Use them as fuel to step up your game.

 


One is focused on winning for you while the other is focused on
helping others win. One tends to come from a limited mindset
while the other assumes an abundance… of people, resources, and
opportunities.


 


Whether we’re talking about customers or employees, the
philosophy shared by the Lena and the CEO is the same—if I share,
I’ll have less. This is technically true, if you’re planning to
stagnate.


 


If you plan to stop challenging yourself to develop skills,
strengthen your team culture, build relationships and learn, then
you should be concerned. Not about them, though.


 


“Progress always involves risk; you can’t progress to second base
and also keep your foot on first.” –Christie Manson


 


By focusing on becoming more valuable in any profession, you
naturally attract more customers and opportunities to share your
talents. By focusing on improving your ability to serve and
generously serving those who show up, you keep the wheels in
motion for growth.


 


Through their consistent pursuit of excellence in company culture
and leadership, Honest Tea, Zappos, Google, Menlo Innovations and
others have become magnets to some of the world’s greatest
talent. They could have hoarded talent and protected their secret
recipes; instead, these leaders opened their doors and said,
“Come learn about what we’re doing.”


 


As a leader, sales professional, entrepreneur, barista or even a
mechanic, what mindset have you adopted as your own? How are you
ensuring consistent evolution?  


 


Here’s to your greatness,


 


Misti Burmeister


 


P.S. Ready to step into your greatness… to uncover your purpose
and figure out how to cash in on your talents? Book your Gearing
For Greatness session today.