People: An Organization’s Only Increasing Asset


Almost 30 years ago, I was working as a night security guard at a food distribution company. Being at the bottom of the tenure list, it fell upon me to work Christmas Eve night alone. Never before had I seen so many thousands of square feet so empty or so still. It was then that I realized the central role of people in this and any organization. Despite the millions of dollars in buildings, equipment and inventory, none of it had any real value without the people who demanded the product, the people who would get it to them, or the people who grew and processed it. Call me slow, but I finally realized that PEOPLE were at the center of it all.

Fast forward a number of years, and I’m sitting in a micro-MBA program for developing leaders. We are going through the finance and accounting modules of the program and talking about depreciation of assets. Then out of the blue it hits me. PEOPLE are the only asset in an organization that can actually increase in value. I mean, not just be valued more because of growing demand for their services or work product; but actually increase in the quantity and quality of the value they bring to themselves and those around them. So why do we frequently treat them as a cost?

Yes, they are frequently the greatest single line item on an organization’s Profit and Loss statement (P&L). However, they are also the only line item that can increase the value received for every dollar spent, if engaged effectively. As a leader of people and an executive I have to ask myself each day, what am I doing to invest in those PEOPLE whom I serve, directly and indirectly? How am I showing them I value them and challenge them to value each other? How am I helping them increase in their value?

One of the methods I have applied to highlight and increase the value of our PEOPLE is establish and guide an assortment of development programs. When an employee feels that they are invested in, they will produce remarkable results. Whether through direct coaching for a specific position or overall enhancement of professional skills, I have made it my personal goal to amplify each organization’s most valuable asset: PEOPLE.

What are you doing to invest in the only asset in your team and organization that can increase its value?

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