A five-year study found that employee emotions significantly impact a company’s success. Interestingly, when an employee makes a mistake and isn’t punished, they tend to perform better. A company wants its employees to try, experiment, and succeed, but it is hard for the company to grow if employees are blamed when they make mistakes or fail. Over time, the company can unintentionally become a bureaucracy, which discourages employees from working effectively. Conversely, when employees and the company work together toward the same goal, great success follows. We mistakenly believe that giving employees monetary bonuses will motivate them. However, more factors can encourage people than just money. Not only is money a limited motivator, but it is also costly compared to its effectiveness. When a company becomes an unpleasant place to work, managers, employees, shareholders, and customers all become unhappy. But when it becomes a good place to work, everyone is happy. There’s no ambiguou...
Founded in 1991, the American craft beer company, New Belgium Brewing Company, is unique because its employees hold all the shares. Since 1996, the founding couples have distributed 10% of their shares to employees annually as incentives, and they have now completely transformed the company into an employee-owned entity. Currently, the founders hold no shares in the company. Furthermore, all employees receive financial training to enhance their management mindset. Training in financial statements, which includes everyone from minor clerks to executives, is standard practice for the company. Running a company without the ability to read financial statements is like signing a contract without understanding the terms. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”