A few years back, the sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond, aired an episode where Raymond and his wife, Debra, were arguing over her not being ready on time and him having to wait for her in the car.
Raymond introduced a term...AIS, which stood for Ass In Seat, and explained that he would give Debra a set time, say 6 p.m. AIS. If she didn't have her butt in the seat at that agreed-upon time, he would leave without her...a move that I think he later regretted.
Same concept, different dilemma - when it comes to a business's employees, just having butts in seats, won't necessarily lead a company to success. People are what make a business develop, grow and excel, not just products or technology.
Good employees don't just show up on your doorstep on a daily basis (unlike Raymond's parents). Great employees carry value that simply can't be replaced.
"The surefire way to help your business improve is to improve your people," says BJ Windhorst, vice president of The Carden Group.
We believe in people improvement because we know that great employees have extensive knowledge and experience; they have relationships with clients and coworkers that have been built up over years of partnerships and they know what has worked for the company in the past.
The Carden Group can truly unleash the potential in employees. We help people get engaged, get more done in less time, stay motivated, think differently and see their weaknesses as opportunities. We motivate with genuine energy and we are experts at getting people to step out of their comfort zone.
"Business leaders who adopt the attitude that anyone is replaceable, thinking they can simply hire someone with a greater skillset or someone with a more prestigious pedigree, are fooling themselves," says Amy Rees Anderson, in Forbes Feb. 13 online edition. "When a company loses a great employee, not only will other employees question it, but clients often question it as well. They might ask, 'What would have caused that employee to leave? Should we be out looking for a new vendor?'"
Place value in your people who dedicate time and talent each and every day to your business, because those people are much more than just an AIS. No one ever says they get too much appreciation.
