The Secret to Making Your Employees Happy

What’s good for employees, will be very good for you.

At the heart of every business is a person with a dream. Support that dream. Provide a moment of appreciation. Provide a moment of hope. Encourage other people to do that too. – Jeff Haden

I love the quote above by Jeff Haden. In Jeff’s article, he outlines how to make a difference in the lives of other entrepreneurs.

Start at Home

You began your company because you had an idea you thought would benefit the world. The people who work for you obviously share your vision.

Practice this concept of encouraging other entrepreneurs, by uplifting your own employees. Although your staff may not posses the capacity to start their own venture, they want to equally contribute to the company’s success and be recognized for those contributions.

Encourage. Respect. Protect.

Encourage your people to share their ideas with you – I’m talking about more than a suggestion box on the receptionist’s desk. Start a process for collecting and implementing ideas. Have a monthly brainstorming meeting. Form a special team to vet new ideas. Treat the ideas with the respect they deserve.

Furthermore, show your sincerity by protecting the good ideas. Raw ideas are free for anyone to use – but as any intellectual property lawyer or business lawyer will tell you, when you take the steps to convert ideas into intellectual property, you create something that can be protected by law.

Taking those steps tells your employees that you value them and their ideas, and they are directly participating in building your company.

Each time you create intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets), it’s like buying land you can improve, market and sell. Your employees will be honored to see their ideas enshrined in valued property. Your company will benefit from the improvements.