Last week my post titled The Balancing Act of Success discussed balancing the needs of the company achieving its purpose with the need of the individual to learn, grow and add value.

The Question

I asked all of you to give me your thoughts on this question:

Does it really have to be a balancing act or could investing in each employee’s growth lead to sustained success for the company?

This blog is viewed in over 30 countries, so I was interested to see if there would be a balanced response from different cultures.  Here is what was said:

The Answer

No matter the location or background of the responder, the answer was loud and clear:

YES! Of course it makes perfect sense to invest in growing your people to grow your business.  That is how you achieve balance in both.

I think we all saw that one coming.  I didn’t expect anyone to say you should sacrifice the individual for the success of the company.

So why don’t all leaders invest in their people all the time?

The answer to that question came in what each responder said next: It’s not easy.

Here are a few paraphrases:

– Demands on company performance have increased; nothing less than excellence is sufficient.

– This only works if you have a knowledgeable and engaged guide to direct your travel down the path.

– This isn’t a gimmick.  Your employees must feel that you truly believe in helping them grow and develop their skills.

It’s all about the sincerity of the leader

George Burns once said, “The secret of acting is sincerity. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”

All kidding aside, you can’t fake this one.  Investing in each employee’s growth to achieve sustained success for the company is a long term venture.

Balancing the success of your company and your pepple means sincerely committing to your people’s success so they will commit to the success of the company.