Marian Hossa a gifted hockey player was signed by the Detroit Red Wings – A winning organization.
The most interesting part about the signing is that Hossa passed up on a lot of money (it could be as high as $12 million over two years) he could make with another hockey club. Instead he joined the Red Wing organization.
I believe Hossa would like to win a Stanley Cup but another part of the Red Wing offer was: sacrifice.
Read the following quotation from Ken Holland, the general manager of the Red Wings:
“Success is about sacrifice — sacrificing ice time, sacrificing personal statistics, sacrificing some money,” said Holland. “Success doesn’t come easily. Marian, obviously, wants to come here because he thinks we give him the best chance to win the Stanley Cup. He’s showing incredible sacrifice — and it goes to his determination and character and how important winning is to him, and playing with other good players.
I think a strong sign of employee engagement is when employees are willing to make a sacrifice to work for their organization.
We don’t ask them to make a sacrifice, we invite them to be part of a special team and they understand that there will be sacrifices to be part of that team. Now that’s engagement!
Of course, the organization must create a culture and a place that people want to join.
Reflection Questions: Do you ever moan that you can afford to get the best talent? Have you thought about sacrifice as part of your recruitment strategy? Are you creating a winning team that people not only want to join but are willing to make a sacrifice to be a part of your team?
Photo Credit: Lets Go Red Wings!! by http://flickr.com/photos/mandj98/2548550660/
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