I wear two bobby pins in my hair almost every day. Two pins on the left side to keep the curls at bay. But not just any pins, two Goody bobby pins. I also lose Goody bobby pins more than perhaps anyone on Earth. There is literally a trail of bobby pins behind me in the world. So a couple of times a year, I have to replenish my stash. I never thought this quirky fact about me would ever match up to my job though. But wouldn’t you know it…
A few weeks ago one of our awesome clients enlisted our help to capture a variety of employee testimonials. We met some truly amazing people (hint…more blog posts to come). Along the way, I was amazed by the employees’ passion for the products that they make and market. They talked about the love of their product and the pride when they walked into a store and saw their “masterpiece” on the shelf. It was really a special experience because we met not just one fired up employee, but one right after another.
Now back to bobby pins. This company just so happens to make my bobby pins. (They also make my favorite product of all time…teaser for future blog.) So this past week I’m trotting through the grocery store and roll my cart to the beauty aisle. I located the bobby pins…Danger Will Robinson. They aren’t Goody. They are some other random brand. Now they look almost identical and I’m sure they too would keep the curls at bay. So I have a major decision – dig through my Mary Poppins bags and floorboards for lost pins or just get the $1.49 pins. After all, it’s just a few dollars. Well, I didn’t buy them.
Now, I didn’t talk to the bobby pin molder or the quality checker who ensures that the dark brown matches my curls. But it didn’t matter. I believe that the people behind my pins are as passionate as the people behind the other products I saw. What if my HR and leadership friends had a moment similar to mine in the grocery store? That moment when they could see and feel the people behind their decisions? What if employees felt HR’s passion for them equal to the passion I saw during those visits? Would it impact the culture? Maybe. Would it mean the world to employees? Definitely. For my HR and leadership friends…your employees ARE your product. If they aren’t passionate about their work, your product isn’t at maximum capacity. If they aren’t “performing,” something in your people R&D isn’t working. If they aren’t passionate about their work, then your competition is going to win…or already has.
I’m going to continue to be loyal to by Goody bobby pins. What are you going to do?
Picture Credit: While filming we noticed the awesome artwork all over the wall. Employees actually created it using the company’s products. I just HAD to take my picture in front of the bobby pin masterpiece.
