Terence Jackson, Ph.D.
C Suite Advisor/Leadership Development/Thought Leader/Culture Creator/Organizational Excellence/TedX Speaker
*** (Reprinted by Permission of Author)***

The primary purpose of the WOW Factor is to attract, convert, and retain customers. In my last article, we talked about applying this quality to the business systems that affect your external customers. In this article, we will talk about ways to WOW your internal customers—your employees.

Remember: Your business consists entirely of systems and processes. You can only produce a WOW Factor by enhancing a specific procedure or component in one of your business systems. There is no other way! You have to build your WOW idea into one or more of your business systems.

When customers—including employees—have an intensely positive reaction to something about your business, you’ve got a WOW Factor!

So, here are six suggestions to get that WOW thing going with the valuable people that are helping you to create a remarkable company.

WOW Your Employees
WOW Factor #1: Develop a World-Class Organization (no matter what your size).
– When people love coming to work every day and are proud of your company’s mission, products, and standing in the community, you’ve got a WOW Factor. When your business is financially stable, growing, and offers employees opportunities for learning and development, you’ve got a WOW Factor! Every business system you create that delivers an excellent result will take you one step closer to becoming a world-class organization!

WOW Factor #2: Fill Employee Buckets to Overflow
– Let’s face it, people are WOWED by better-than-average wages, incentives, and benefits. Paying at the higher end of the salary scale will help you get the “A” employees and retain them longer. The result will be stronger workgroups# or teams, long-term stability, and top performance—EVEN WHEN YOU’RE NOT AROUND. (The money needed to offer better compensation than your competitors comes by cutting waste and inefficiency from your business processes.) And don’t forget to fill those employee buckets with deserved respect, praise, and recognition. The more you generously give to others, the more you get in return—the Law of Reciprocity.

WOW Factor #3: Create a Culture of Excellence
– Use business systems, measurement, and continuous improvement methods to bring the best out of people—a disciplined work ethic, consistent results, and patterns of excellence. Your employees will experience no greater WOW than the thrill of personal accomplishment. (You can make this happen even with ordinary employees doing mundane tasks.) Your high-performance business culture will produce an abundance of WOW Factors for customers of all types.

WOW Factor #4: Be the Golden-Rule Boss
– No doubt, we are all WOWED by the company owner who is an amazing innovator, the coach who demands our best, or the visionary who inspires. However, the real WOW Factor for most employees is the everyday boss who listens, is supportive, rolls up his or her sleeves to help solve a problem, follows through on commitments, and is generous with giving out credit or praise. The Golden-Rule boss treats subordinates as they would want to be treated if roles were reversed. And when things go wrong, this wise leader first looks for problems in business systems before blaming people.

WOW Factor #5: Elevate Your People
– “WOW” can be used to describe a workplace that enables people to learn new skills, experience personal growth, and advance their careers. Many employees love work that is meaningful and where they can make a difference. They like challenging assignments, specialized training, or taking ownership of a business system. Some workers will become stars if included in a big idea, a big goal (BHAG), or put on a dream team. Others will stretch and even sacrifice to accomplish something extraordinary. Anything that enlightens, elevates, or energizes people is going to be a WOW Factor!

WOW Factor #6: Focus on Individuals
– Every employee has a unique personality their own feelings about what makes a WOW Factor. Get to know your employees like your other customers. Over the years, I have discovered a variety of little things that seem to WOW people. For example, some employees like flexible work hours, pizza Fridays, casual Fridays, Fridays off, or working from home. Others value a clean, organized and systemized workplace. Some like autonomy or control, while others flourish when given tasks that require creativity or innovation. Discover the unique interests and talents of your employees and make the most of them. The degree to which you magnify individual people, you will magnify your company.

Play to WOW!

In the T.V. series, “The Undercover Boss,” the business owner, working incognito alongside company employees, comes to know some of their hopes and dreams. At the end of the undercover week, the boss is revealed and often does something special to help a few employees achieve their personal goals (e.g., college tuition or a family vacation). Those helped are deeply grateful, and obviously feeling the WOW Factor!

WOW Factors usually don’t require much money, and if done correctly, can pay big dividends. What they do require is a business owner or management team that understands the game of work, and plays to WOW!

Dr. Terry Jackson is C-Suite Advisor, Thought Leader, Solutions Provider, Organizational Acceleration Consultant and Change Management Architect. Dr. Jackson partners with Executives and Organizations to align Strategy, People,#start and Processes to optimize and sustain Peak Business Performance. His methodologies increase Profit and Productivity, help manage change and reduce organizational cost.