The Human Factor: Tips for Businesses, Teams & Individuals.
Recently, a group of extraordinary people and I visited Silicon Valley. As you know, the core of entrepreneurship worldwide is the goal of, although not all, the vast majority of entrepreneurs, and with it, the point of reference for those who promote it.
We, as responsible for an entrepreneurial ecosystem in northern Mexico called Orion Technology Park, went to learn, unlearn and be challenged by the broad and robust global entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Bay Area.
There were many lessons learned from companies, organizations and institutions, and, even more, from people we admire and respect deeply. However, if I could sum it all up in one sentence, whether in business, family relationships, work teams, etc.; it would be: Be human, think human.
I do not intend to expose a new language or speak something unknown, but I am sure that, in the daily process, as bosses, CEOs, collaborators or employees; we use to forget certain premises and motivations by focusing on the path rather than the goal.
Institutions, Businesses and any type of organization are equal to humans.
I repeat, it is not something new. It is as old as humanity itself. In the book, Homo Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari, speaks of history and time as a story of the human being creating and using tools that will facilitate work and life in general. The history of the world is not about events or phenomena, but of the human within them.
It is not reduced to a particular area. Poetry is exciting not for the bombastic words that are used, but for the flash of beauty that the extraordinary vision of a simple human finds in the “ordinary.”
Even your lists read like poetry, you magnificent human.
In wars, elections, social movements, sports meetings, concerts, work teams, even within homes; The central factor will always be the human.
What happens in business? Where is human?
In the last decade, and especially in recent years, the issue of “human capital” has been one of the most popular factors. This only speaking of the human as the productive core of the company. Seeing them as users, with the rise of entrepreneurship and multiple existing methodologies, the human displaced the product as a starting point for any business.
Among them, there is even a methodology called Human-Centered Design. (you can see more about it here)
We can continue talking about the relevance in areas such as technology, education, society; but it will surely be the subject for another talk with you, dear reader.
Therefore, I share the result of learning about SV through 4 Human Tips, which I will try to explain as clearly as possible:
1. Humans don’t work for work anymore. During our visit, something that stood out from the trip was that at least 3 people emphasized the superior purpose of the company.
At Microsoft, Adrian told us about the alignment that employees have with the vision. We could notice the importance this has for the company, as they have reminders throughout all the facilities.
In Googleplex Technologies, Rubén told us how they are fully identified with the vision of the company and how that leads all their actions to a common goal.
Finally, Ivan Lozano, an intelligent entrepreneur who currently leads Talentum, a Mexican talent linking company with companies in the area. During the talk we had with him, the issue of purpose or why arose. (Expect more articles about it) Iván mentioned the book of Start With Why, which speaks of the vision or as the book Exponential Organizations would say, the Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP). As employees or professionals, more and more the economic aspect happens to the second term because we seek to be part of a movement that generates impact. This is directly linked to the emotional area of the human. It is equally important for the user, but I will touch the subject at a later point.
2. Attraction and retention of talented humans. Another factor that impressed me during our visit was the talent attraction strategy. There are positions dedicated solely to looking for the best university profiles for internships. With this, they not only attract the best university profiles, but they have great chances of being hired once the internship period is over. Once there, there are possibilities to change working groups, networks; and flexible and clear growth opportunities. A few days ago, I heard the term Employee Value Proposition (EVP), a term designed to define the value proposition to attract talent and retain it within the business. Who do we want in our business/projects, and how do we make sure that they are the ones who arrive? How do we retain them?
3. The professional development of modern humans never stops. Rubén told us that the flexibility of work and one of Google’s approaches is the constant growth of its employees. Therefore, trust and providing continuous training schemes is one of how they align the important values with the executed. Large companies want people to continue preparing, and the new generations are hungry not to stop learning. When was the last time you learned something new?
4. Think of clients as emotional humans. In business, elements that differentiate and trigger the sale of products have been identified: Trust, Stories, Experiences, and Shortage. All of them aimed at emotional humans. We have agreed that Starbucks Coffee sells experiences (if we would not buy cheaper coffees); Supreme sells shortages (who buys an expensive brick?); The Dollar Shave Club started it all with a story; Toyota Showcase sells its cars around the concept of security and trust. Even if we talk about influence and persuasion, it is proven that emotion (passion) can surpass knowledge, the position of authority and body language. Maybe we all should be focusing a little more on the Emotional Quotient (EQ) and how we affect/use it in our benefit through our daily activities. And you, what kind of emotion causes in the people/clients/companies that surround you?
Touch his mind and you will get his money, touch his heart and you will get his loyalty. Unknown.
More than ever, it is important to remember the human factor. At least in Mexico, a new regulation concerning emotional well-being has worried entrepreneurs. However, it only comes to reinforce the above, remember that the human is the core of the whole. Let’s develop, take care and empower the humans who are part of the team, of the company; but above all, let’s work the most important human of all, ourselves.
