I love it when someone gets me to say, think, or realize something that is actually an Ah-Ha moment for myself. That happened recently when I was a guest on the Stop Killing Deals podcast.

I don’t know exactly what he asked me before the moment. I am guessing it was about reinforcing the concepts of connection into the culture. We were basically talking about motivation. Take a listen and tell me what led up to it.

Anyway, I found myself explaining that the best way to reinforce what a company values is to embed it into everything they do from hiring to recognition, reward, and promotion. Then I said,

“The metrics that a company uses reflect their values.” (TWEET THIS!)

Duh! It is so obvious. If you want to make sure your company is aligned to your stated values, look at your metrics. I think the most important value is connection – big shock. Build relationships and value your people. Here are a few ways you can approach creating a culture of connectivity in your company:

• Recognition. This is relatively low-effort but can go a long way. Employees are more likely to enjoy their work and be more productive in an environment where they receive recognition for their contributions. Some simple ways you can recognize your employees are through public acknowledgment (on social media, for example), company-sponsored lunch dates, even a hand-written note from the companies leadership. I love walls where anyone can recognize anyone else in the company. It is fun to grab your coffee and peruse the in-person or virtual wall.
• Support & Understanding. One of the top three things that leads to employee job satisfaction is an understanding attitude from the boss. Be human. Think about how you want to be treated. Think about not just what you need from your team but what excited them and what should be their next challenge.
  Compensation. If you are only determining compensation based on sales numbers, annual profits, or another bottom-line metric – what you are telling your people is that is all that matters. Think about loyalty-related compensation, how else can you compensate based on values – get creative.
• Professional development. Professional development opportunities show your employees that you’re willing to invest in them for the long term. The opportunity to improve upon their knowledge and skills in their field also opens up the possibility of promotion. This shows the value of continuous learning, loyalty, and more.​​​​​​​
• Referral programs. Your employees will appreciate the offer of a monetary incentive to refer potential employees that they think will fit in well with the company culture. Having close friends at work is a predictor of happiness on the job and is shown to improve productivity by 50%. This is a great way to show that you value existing relationships.With these in mind, make sure your employee incentives are well-publicized in the company, be inclusive, and always be open to feedback from your employees.