Beyond Thank You—5 Non-Financial Keys to Attracting and Keeping Great Leaders

So you want to attract and keep great people. Who doesn’t? Connexus, the church in which I serve, relies on hundreds of volunteers and several staff each week to do some incredibly demanding roles. How do you keep great people engaged? Whether it’s staff or volunteers, you want to keep people engaged, motivated and committed to a common cause. While there are a variety of ways to do that, there’s one truth underneath it all that often gets missed. Here’s how I believe people behave: People gravitate to where they are valued most. Think about it. You behave this way. Your best friends are the people who make you feel valued. The family members you talk to most regularly are the ones who make you feel most valued. You’ve left jobs because you didn’t feel like you were valued. You willingly give your time to organizations or causes where you feel like you are appreciated and making a contribution. If you do this, why would your team be any different? So as a leader, how can you make sure you are adequately valuing people? You might think the key is to say thanks a lot or simply pay people. Well, maybe not. Thanks. I believe that saying thanks should be the daily currency of every leader. Never underestimate the power of a hand-written thank you note or the power of looking someone in the eye and commending them for something specific they’ve done. Do it daily. But people still walk away from their jobs and roles after being thanked for what they’ve done. So thank people, but don’t stop there. Money. Even for paid employees, once you reach a certain salary level, money alone is not a motivator. If your entire strategy is based on compensation, you will not make people feel valued. Many well-paid people hate their jobs. And it’s of zero help when dealing with volunteers. So how do you really value people? I think there are at least five things leaders can do to help people feel like they are valued. And they’re free. All they require is your attitude and heart as a leader.

Five Non-Financial Ways to Value Leaders

Here are five non-financial keys to attracting and keeping great leaders:

1. Listen 

Everyone wants to be heard. One of the best ways you can value people is to listen. Ask them questions. Don’t jump to conclusions. Look them in the eye. Maintain undistracted focus. Take notes. Use your ears far more than you use your mouth. This can be a behavior you learn. I know because I’m a natural talker (plus I have convinced myself I can solve anyone’s problem in 20 seconds). Practice the skill of listening. People will feel valued, because you actually are valuing them.

2. Trust

Trust people. Sure, I know you’ve been burned before. Join the line. I’m not talking about blind trust, but I am talking about trusting people when they’ve shown even an inkling of character, skill and aptitude. Most people want to be believed in. You do. And when you trust leaders, the best ones will rise to the occasion. They might even rise beyond it. And the others, well, you can deal with that when it happens. In the meantime, don’t punish the good people because you’ve run into a few bad ones. Make trust, not suspicion, your default.

3. Respect 

When your talent or contribution is not respected or valued, it’s hard to want to stay. So respect the leaders you lead. Give them your time, your attention, your ear, your heart and your gratitude. Men, in particular, crave respect.

4. Challenge

This one’s a bit counterintuitive, but make sure you have high expectations of the people you lead. Challenge them! Higher standards motivate people. It calls out their best. Very few high-capacity leaders want to give their lives to something uninspiring or insignificant. High expectations usually yield higher returns.

5. Empower

Give them something significant to do. As my friend Reggie Joiner says, people will not believe they are significant until you give them something significant to do. So empower them. Give them something real. If you only have small tasks, you will attract small leaders. But if you start to give away significant tasks and authority, you will attract the best and brightest leaders. People gravitate to where they are valued most. If you value them, guess where they’ll likely hang out? What would you add to this list? Scroll down and leave a comment!