What your employees and NBA superstars have in common

A few days ago, one of the sales superstars on our team blasted out a link to everyone at the company. Sometimes, emailing the entire team can go awry. However, this particular one was a hit—and definitely worth sharing. It was to a recent blog post by Mark Cuban, famed business leader and Dallas Mavericks owner, titled “The NBA is a Talent Driven League and That is a Great Thing”. As fans of both the Dallas Mavericks and ABC’s Shark Tank, we knew it would be an important read as Mark Cuban always means business. 

 

The headline/general gist of the post was this…

“Mobility is the power that comes with being great at your job. If you are one of the best, you will have the ability to decide where you want to work.” 

 

These words strongly echo one of our core beliefs here at Gameffective. They are actually part of the reason why our company came to be – helping companies not just make employees great at their job, but also create an environment where talent is nurtured, engaged and retained. In Mr. Cuban’s article, he draws comparisons between changes in the NBA and the business world. In both cases, “employees” nowadays have more options and expect more— they are essentially “free agents” who have the power to pick their own team and control their own careers. 

In 2019, unemployment rates are lower than 4%, so the game is less about recruiting and more about retention. People are employed, but unlike previous generations—not always for an extended period of time at one company. Mr. Cuban writes in his article, “In the past the default was that the best  employees would want a long career with their employers, because that is what you did. You kept your job as long as you could . No longer. Now the onus is on employers to keep their best employees happy.”

Front doors seem to have been replaced by revolving doors (and in some cases back doors, complete with exit strategies). What does this mean for you? It means that if and when employees are not satisfied (meaning the job or the company doesn’t live up to their expectations)— they can get up, walk through those revolving doors, march across the street and be working for your competitor the next day. 

It’s not just incentives that you should be competing on to retain your talent —we see this every day with our clients. Today’s employees are informed and in-charge more than ever. They want to work for companies that come complete with innovative and inclusive culture—where every member of the team is challenged, supported and propelled towards success.

When engaged on this level, employees become loyal and irreplaceable superstars. They have a significant impact within their company, as well as online, via their social channels. They become visible to candidates and customers as the best and the brightest in their industry. Thus, companies that learn to retain their talent in authentic and innovative ways, will ultimately be the winners.

And much like in the NBA, it’s not the star players that win the game, it’s the team. Retaining talent isn’t just limited to the top 10% anymore—it’s not just the star players that companies need to look after, its their entire workforce. Retaining talent today is about delivering on employee expectations—creating an environment that sets everyone up to win, with clear objectives, regular feedback, good coaching and absolute inclusion.

That’s the kind of authentic employee-centric culture candidates are looking for—where everyone’s set up for and driven to success. Employees want to feel they’re an irreplaceable member of a team. When an employee feels irreplaceable, they’re highly unlikely to go and replace their employer.

Essentially, employees are the new superstars, and it really pays to treat them as such. Recruiting, retaining and helping them realize their full potential translates into respect, relevance and revenue for your company. Welcome to the era of putting the employee at the center of business success.

You can check out Mr. Cuban’s article here. Also, if you want to learn more about how Gameffective can help you create this environment for your employees, click here to contact us today and we’ll be more than happy to schedule a meeting for you with one of our sales superstars!

 

BTW – Mike, thanks for sharing!

 

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