Dr. Seuss‘s famous quote should be every employers and recruiters mantra. And with today’s economic uncertainty and general social malaise, we all sure can use a bit of fun and a jolt of performance. So throw out the “Right People, Right Place, Right Time mantra“ that was so 90’s.
Let’s face it as children we all dreamed of having a pony, and if were honest with ourselves we still want a pony. Hell we probably wish we were the pony some days. We can still dream big and see our dreams come true.
So what is a pony?
A pony is a game changer, a bright light, with strong opinions that are not swayed by mediocrity, someone who feeds on diversity and questions what everybody else takes as gospel. The pony produces spectacular results but is never satisfied with the status quo or even the occasional failure. They are not shrinking violets, so if your company is a “Yes-Sir” type company, forget the ponies and go hire some Yes-Sirs”. Someday, I will read about you in the corporate obituaries.
Many companies are afraid of hiring ponies for fear of being showed up, of having someone more brilliant or smarter than you shading your light and reducing your chances at promotion. The best companies always hire the best and the brightest because it makes everyone eat rainbows and poop butterflies.
If your company does not have the right culture and management is not 100% supportive of these types of employees, ponies will quickly leave and take their rainbows and butterflies to a company whose culture is more supportive.
So are you a Pony ready type company. Can you?:
- Dream big and tell everyone about it.
- Love your employees and tell and show them you do.
- Listen to your employees as they see things you do not.
- Allow innovation, not just say the buzzwords but live them.
- Look to the future, always moving forward.
- Share responsibility so that everyone has skin in the game.
- Communicate often and clearly so that everyone knows what is expected of them.
- Admit to mistakes so that trust is built within the company.
Dr. Seuss was a genius when he said “You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself in any direction you choose”. So try to remember your childhood memories and embrace the pony inside of you, the butterflies will not be far behind.
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