Build A Business (Mission) You Want to Work For: how to attract people to your cause

I once received some advice to build a business I’d want to work for.  At the time, my mindset was “I don’t want to build a business.”  Needless to say, the advice got lost in my “that’s clever, but not so useful” file.  

Do you have a written or mental list of non-urgent things to do?  I have one.  It’s about a thousand items long.  It often overlaps the “that’s clever, but not so useful” file.  I’ll never get to all of the things.  I don’t want to get to all of them.  They are all good, just not essential, or at least I don’t think they are at the time they are added to the list.

I never dreamt of being the typical “businessman”.  There was always something self-serving about this title.  I felt more at home in a team environment and business-“man” was very singular.  I thrive on interaction and camaraderie.  I believe this comes from playing team sports.

Most business advice that I have ever received was placed in the above referenced file and forgotten about.  It wasn’t something that I thought was worthless, it was just something that I didn’t think was for me; certainly not at that time.

Newsweek says that there are 517 accredited business schools in the United States.  Apparently, there’s over 16,000 in the world.  And for those people who are looking for graduate level education, there are 1,189 in the US.  See TopMBA’s list of the top 10 if you’re looking for a school.

Many lists of top business schools give salary expectations for graduates of the programs.  I find this interesting because, according to Investopedia, a business can be a non-profit organization.  While I believe that employees of charitable organizations should be compensated for their work, the primary purpose of those jobs is not to make as much money as possible.  

A great graduate level business education would be very helpful in the operation of a non-profit organization.  Some of the best organizations I know are run by savvy business people.

I have learned two lessons from my long list of “useless” advice.

1.  A business is an organization that operates for a purpose.

2.  Everyone should apply business principles to their purpose.

I know that every strong business has motivated, great people.   Success is hard to come by without them.  I am also aware that every business started from an idea.  That idea alone will not advance the cause.  As it grows, the creator of the original idea will need help.  

You have to give people great reasons to join your cause, no matter what your business.  I have noted the salary expectations of MBA students, but this is not a sustainable reason.  Organizations that concentrate on compensation as the main reason to work for them are bound to fail.  People need more than money to thrive.  

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has been debated, tweaked, and updated in multiple ways, but it provides the context needed for this entry.  A desirable environment that provides psychological and fulfillment needs is one that will attract motivated, great people. 

Now that I have adjusted my own definition of business, I now understand that I have been a businessman for most of my life.  

I love gathering a team together.  I’m not creative in an artistic or musical sense, but I love creating an actionable, social program.  

When I was in elementary school, youth sports were not as organized, demanding, and specialized as they are today.  I have no problem with organized and demanding.  In fact, I love the lessons that can be taught in environments with those characteristics.  

My thoughts on the specialization of young athletes is much different.  I benefitted greatly from playing multiple sports in my younger years.  It’s great for your body control, it’s great for your mind, and it’s great for interacting with more people.  

Nowadays, it seems that every youth athlete is booked solid with one sport all year.  They don’t have the opportunity to develop other skills and are often burnt out mentally, or injured, by the time they get to high school. 

When I was growing up, it was nice to take a break from one sport and participate in another for a few months.  My favorite was always football.  I would have enjoyed a longer football season every year.  

One year, I decided to create my own football season.  Looking back, it was kind of like the XFL filling in the spring time with football while the NFL was in its offseason.  

Everyday after school at Country Isles Elementary School, I would go to “aftercare” while my parents were still working.  It was like ending every day with three hours of recess.  Awesome!…until you run out of things to do or the majority of kids get picked up and you’re staring at an empty playground.  

One day, I had a great idea to start a football league and just ran with it.  I recruited every kid I could to join the league.  We ended up having four teams of four.  Sixteen players made up the ultimate after-care football league.  We played in the outfield of the baseball field (consequently where the events of last week’s blog entry happened) with an old worn ball.  This league wasn’t about the fame, the money, or endorsements.  It was just about having some fun before our parents came.

The great thing about the after-care football league was that it gave us all something to look forward to prior to going home for the day.   I had written out a schedule and even drew up some plays that all teams could use.  It was competitive, but also inclusive.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but I really created an enjoyable group for us kids to participate in.

I think my mother thought I was crazy when I got in the car one day with a stack of papers that weren’t school work.  She was curious as to what I was plotting (I had a tendency to envision extravagant things that would require more effort than generally available from other people).  This time was different.  I didn’t need her to buy me anything special, or take me anywhere.  I just needed other kids and a few hours of free time after school every day. 

I don’t remember how long the after-care football league lasted.  It was probably about a month.  I remember looking forward to every game (even the ones I wasn’t playing in).  I had to keep track of the scores, results, and standings.  

There was one major flaw to the model.  I could control every thing related to the league except the availability of the players.  Somedays, certain kids did not stay for after-care (this actually created quite the issue for one friend who attempted to convince his mom to let him stay).  Other kids had an unpredictable pick-up time.  It’s not convenient to lose your best running back in the middle of a game because dad left work early.  

All-in-all, the after-care football league was a success.  But, it wasn’t the success that I thought it was at the time.  None of the players went on to play in the National Football League.  None of them would attribute their athletic success to our “training”.  In fact, I don’t even know what any of those people are doing today.  The success was in the community and purpose.  

The league operated for a purpose: to entertain us while we were waiting for our parents.  It was not an extravagant mission, but it was a mission.  We had a common goal and needed to work together to make it happen.  I thought it was a better idea to come to after-care with a purpose every day, rather than show up not knowing what to expect.  

It’s no shot at the leadership of the after-care program.  Their job was just to watch us and make sure we were safe and acting appropriately.  Those of us “everyday” after-care kids needed something organized.  

I find that these concepts are widely recognized in the professional community.  Unfortunately though, they are rarely applied.  As organizations grow, the purpose often gets lost.  The more people involved the more specialized roles become and it can be hard to operate with the joint mission in mind.  

The definition of team building is:

“the action or process of causing a group of people to work together effectively as a team, especially by means of activities and events designed to increase motivation and promote cooperation”

Companies have to spend large amounts of resources (time included) to promote team building.  The reason is because the staff is often not in harmony in their day to day actions.  They have to make specific time to spend together to develop relationships outside of the job.  I believe that time to be well spent if needed, but I also believe it is possible to address the issue prior to reaching the need.

If you’re going to make a positive impact in the world, you’re going to have to interact with others.  There are many ways to make an impact, but they all involve communication and relationships.  This applies to for-profit businesses, non-profit businesses, charities, teams, small groups, large groups, long term events, and the shortest of efforts.  In either scenario, you have to build something that people want to be a part of. 

The best way to determine if someone would want to be a part of something, is to ask yourself if you would want to be.  Is this thing (business, mission, organization) that I have created something that would be enjoyable to join?

You have to offer something that treats people very well, something that is a pleasure to experience, something that is empowering, and something that improves the situation of others (it can’t just be good for you). 

If whatever you create does not provide value to others, you will not successfully grow the cause.  Why would anyone join you if there’s nothing in it for them or people they care about?  

In reality, there is one reason.  Desperation.  In some cases, there may be one thing that you can provide (usually, it’s money) that will give people an incentive to join despite the lack of a truly desirable cause.  This scenario is toxic and unsustainable.  It will not end well because the cause is not providing enough value for them and they don’t care about it.  They just want one thing (the money).  

If you’re starting a business or worthy cause, think about the help you’ll need and how you can make it enjoyable to participate in.  Treat people well.  Help them grow.  Let them learn.  Be forgiving, yet motivating.  Help your help look forward to the work.

Make team building natural, not special.

Provide the best in order to attract the best.