I've been chatting with friends about what it means to be a capitalist these days—specifically whether one can be a capitalist and put their employees first.
If capitalism is: an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit
…then I think the confusion orbits around when you care most about maximizing that profit.
If your endgame is this fiscal year or quarter, is that sustainable capitalism? Or are you making decisions that could hamstring your long-term earning potential (for example, by deciding not to invest in employee engagement, or maybe even cutting employee programs)?
If your endgame is further out (or maybe even infinite), you're probably more focused on laying the tracks for a perpetual profit ecosystem, which would have to include a diverse and passionate team.
This might be getting a bit meta, but your employees can be thought of as capitalists too.
They have choices—like to stay, or go work for a competitor, or start their own businesses. It would be anti-capitalist of you to think they shouldn't be looking for the most value for themselves.
It seems like there are two camps:
- People who believe employees are a cost to be minimized.
- People who believe employees are a resource to maximize profit (the best one you have).
I'm grateful that the people I get to work with—those in the latter camp—have vision.
They have an eye on the long-term.
They have ambitious goals and know that a dedicated and diverse group of humans is the best advantage they could possibly have in the competitive market.
They understand that compassion is not a luxury, but a necessary ingredient in the formula of success.
Isn't it nice when doing the right thing is also the best thing?
If you're also in the latter camp, chances are you're a CEO or HR/Talent expert that cares about people.
So first, we'd like to say thank you. We're grateful for the work you're doing. Your work is important.
Second, if you're beginning your employer brand journey but aren't sure where to start, or if your organizational identity has just gotten a little fuzzy, we'd love to chat with you, because it sounds like we're on the same mission.
