The Five Pillars of People Success

While much of an organization’s success is based on the demand for the goods/services they provide, it also largely hinges on the people that work there. It’s people that continue to innovate, bring ideas to life, and manage the daily business functions. Without a strong workforce, organizations will struggle to stay fresh, competitive, and ultimately stay alive.

Despite this, many organizations are failing to provide a people-centric business strategy and many certainly aren't meeting the ever-growing expectations of their employees. In this guide, we’re going to look at the five pillars of people success and how these can help companies create a strong corporate culture by onboarding, developing, and retaining happy and engaged employees.

What is people success?

People success is about creating an employee-centered strategy that allows every member of the team to show up to work each day feeling like their best self. A people success strategy like this helps organizations create a highly-engaged workforce that puts people at the center of everything they do. By putting employees first and encouraging them to take ownership of their happiness and career development, you’ll nurture desirable traits such as productivity, innovation, performance, and engagement, benefitting both the business and the individual.

It’s clear that a people success strategy is the key to creating a thriving, engaged and successful business - but this doesn't happen overnight. The good news is, there’s a five-pillar framework that organizations can use to implement a strong employee-centric strategy.

What are the five pillars of people success?

Before we look at the five pillars, it’s important to understand what these are actually used for. By taking into account each of these five elements, employers can put together a strategy that places employees firmly at the center. These allow them to focus their attention on engagement, performance, and growth of every individual within the workforce, and are designed to see if organizations are meeting their employee’s expectations.

1. Fit

Being the right fit is all about whether the role matches your employee’s strengths and interests and whether they feel a genuine sense of belonging at work. These factors will have a huge impact on their job satisfaction and how long they choose to stay within the company.

2. Alignment

Alignment is key for development. For example, does your employee know what they need to prioritize to progress within the company, and are they being given regular feedback to help them stay on track? Giving your employees feedback is hugely important for their development and happiness, so this is something you need to be doing regularly. 

3. Enablement

In order to do their job as effectively and stress-free as possible, employees need all the right tools and resources. They also need to know they have the support of their managers and the organization. This will enable them to do the best they can, continue to innovate, and be as productive as possible.

4. Motivation

Micromanaging staff can be a real de-motivator, so they need to feel as if they can work independently and take control of their own workload. Similarly, employees need to feel like the work they do is having a genuine impact on the business - this is something that can be discussed during feedback and when setting objectives. This will keep your workforce feeling driven and motivated.

5. Growth

Finally, you need to make sure your employees are always growing and developing. This could mean offering regular training and giving them opportunities to take on new responsibilities and learn new skills. No one wants to feel stuck in a rut and growth is important to professionals, which benefits the organization as well.

Why use these five pillars?

The obvious reason for creating an employee-centric workplace is that you’ll nurture an environment of productivity, creativity, and growth. And with an engaged, happy workforce on your side, your organization has a better chance of being competitive, building a great brand, and positioning yourself as an industry leader.

But more specifically, why should you use these five pillars? These pillars will help organizations:

• Guide employees and help them to shape and create the right role for them.
• Ensure your team are always improving and growing. As they develop their skills, they’ll be able to move forward in their career and better contribute towards the business’ bottom line.
• Give individuals the confidence to take charge of their own workload and development.
• Make sure everyone has the tools, support and resources they need to work as effectively as possible.
• Expand their views on growth, particularly growth within the company. This can lead to higher staff retention rates.
• Deepen the connections people have with their role, the organization and their colleagues.
• Create an engaged, happy workforce that wants to make a real impact and help the business succeed.

People success is the key to business success and these five pillars can help your organization to excel.