People Who Love People
Aunie Brooks | Suit and Shepherd Executive Vice President
When we describe the type of people who work at Suit and Shepherd and our other companies in the Household Group, we say, “We are people who love people.” Crafting this statement has helped us stay intentional about loving people and recruiting and hiring people who fit this same description.
In Mark 12:30-31, Jesus tells us what the two greatest commandments are. The first is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Since Jesus put such a weighty value to this command, we should also.
We want to be known as a company that loves people well. Whether they are our customers, trade partners, or employees – we hope they know we value them greatly. The best way to ensure our employees share that same value with company leaders is for our leaders to live it out with their employees. Loved people, love people.
Listed below are some of the ways we intentionally show love to our employees:
● Offer limited, free counseling sessions for employees and their families during a challenging time.
● Offer financial assistance plans for employees when they find themselves in critical need.
● Offer classes like Arise Fitness and Financial Peace University to help improve their physical health and financial health.
● Plan fun events throughout the year for employees and their families to hang out and build relationships with one another.
While each of those programs and events show love, nothing can replace our daily, weekly, and monthly interactions with our employees, where we get to consistently add value to them. One tool all managers in our company are required to implement is regular one-on-ones with employees who report to them. Depending on the teams, one-on-ones can happen weekly, bi-weekly, or once a month. In these meetings, we follow an agenda that looks something like this:
5 Mins Show Care – follow up on anything personal or meaningful
20 Mins They Guide – let the employee bring up anything they need to discuss or need answers to or help with
15 Mins You Guide – the manager’s chance to bring up anything that needs clarity or to provide feedback
5 Mins Clarify Action Steps – is there anything that needs to be completed before the next one-on-one?
One-on-ones between managers and their team members can accomplish a lot. They can open doors for better communication, set appropriate expectations for work, and allow for honest and open feedback loops. Perhaps the greatest outcome of correctly implemented one-on-ones is that solid, caring relationships are formed between people who love people. As a leader, when you set aside intentional time to listen to your employees’ concerns, set clear expectations for them, and provide positive and critical feedback to help them grow, you show them that you value them. This is especially important in organizations and industries where the job requires constant action. Often, these organizations do not prioritize one-on-ones because finding the time can be so challenging. But this is when it is even more critical to make the time. Employees will burn out in time if they don’t really feel heard, seen, and valued by their leader.
Becoming a culture of people who love people doesn’t just happen. It requires intentionality and effort. But since it is the second greatest commandment the Lord ever gave us, we know that it will be well worth every dollar and minute we invest in it.