The Top Thing You Can Do To Retain Employees

As the economy continues to move towards recovery, and companies become healthier, the threat of losing good, productive employees looms large. For the past few years, employers that were forced to reduce their workforces did so by getting rid of the dead wood - those who were troublesome, not performing, etc. - and kept the workers they considered the "cream of the crop." Many employees were simply happy to have jobs and continued to perform for their companies - even with additional workloads and pay cuts.

But as more jobs become available, some of the best employees will update their resumes, poised to find better, higher paying jobs somewhere else - unless their companies give them a reason to stay. It's probably already happening in a lot of companies.

Don't assume that money is the only solution. Research indicates that companies that have made their employees feel worthwhile and appreciated will have more loyal employees and less turnover.

That's why this is a crucial time to look inside your organization and honestly determine whether you're making your employees feel worthwhile. They need to know that what they've done for the company during the past few years has made a difference and that their efforts have helped the company deliver its brand promise. If your employees feel this way, it will mean more job and company satisfaction and reduced turnover.

And if you decide that your employees don't feel this way, it's never too late to get started. It's a new year and a new decade.

How to Ensure That Your Brand Survives

Recently, the local newspaper ran a series of articles on companies that almost went out of business in 2009 but made modifications that got them back on the path to success. The brands represented in the articles varied greatly and spanned different industries; a few included a builder, consulting firm, lighting company and manufacturing business.

The home builder switched from building million dollar, custom homes to slightly smaller, less expensive homes with many of the luxury materials of his million dollar homes. The fiber optic lighting company changed its focus to energy efficient products for existing rather than new buildings. The consulting firm expanded its business consulting services and its market by offering training, while the manufacturing firm overhauled many of its processes and slashed profit margins.

Despite the range of tactics these organizations employed to survive, they all had one thing in common. They changed how their brands approached the market to adapt to the economic environment and were successful because they retained their brand essence, who they were.

Once an organization knows who it is and what its unique claims of distinction are, it has the solid foundation it needs to grow its brand and make it strong. That foundation doesn't change; it allows an organization to build on it and easily make adaptations when the going gets tough. It's what every organization needs to survive - and grow.

Top 3 Ways To Get Your Brand In Shape

Traditionally, January is the month for making resolutions - especially to improve your health and fitness. Every piece of workout equipment is on sale, and every type of media is promoting how to get fit and healthy in the New Year.

After the tense economic climate of 2009, this January also seems like a good time to focus on improving the health of your brand in the New Year. Like many of us who want to get in shape, though, a lot of companies want to do too much too fast without taking into account what's truly important to their overall health.

The most effective approach to getting your brand in shape is to focus on the basics. Here are three that you should consider if you'd like to get your brand in shape for 2010.

1. Know your organization's unique claim(s) of distinction. If you don't know what they are, or your upper management can't agree on them, you need to do some work with your brand to discover them.
2. Be sure that your business objectives match your brand objectives. Until these are in sync, your marketing efforts will be frustrating, and you won't see a good return on your marketing investment.
   
3. Don't rush to execute your marketing plan or tactics until you've resolved numbers 1 and 2. It's important to get your marketing efforts started, but not if you haven't established a firm brand marketing foundation.
   

Remember, getting your brand in shape takes the same time and dedication that it takes to become personally fit. But the results are worth it. Here's to a healthy, prosperous 2010!