Putting people first is a choice, a mindset, a philosophy. It’s investing in your team members to where they choose to become a vital part of your organization. It’s about multi-directional support and accountability which comes down to the commitment of individuals as well as your overall work community. I have learned through the years that people will commit to the extent they feel their organization cares about them and their interests. 

Why is it that many organizations talk about putting their people first but when it comes time to do so, they do not? Could it be that leadership hasn’t fully bought into the importance of serving the interests of the people they represent? To where their pronounced intentions don’t align with their actions. I’m not sure if they see any real value in putting people first. Like there is not enough of an immediate return on people as an investment. People could even be seen as nothing more than commodities and therefore, interchangeable, replaceable, and expendable.

This is where leadership can be extremely short sighted because whether they realize it or not, team members are paying attention. Let’s face it, we are all in the people business, and as a leader, if you think you can finesse a good game around how you care about your people and then operate in a dichotomous manner, you will be sorely disappointed and ultimately fail. Don’t forget that the most talked about individual in any company is the person or persons at the very top.

When you put people first, it’s a balancing act because you are weighing the singular against the pluralist, and the pluralist is nothing more than a compilation of the singulars. As a leader there are those difficult times when you must put the pluralistic first, not the person or individual. Especially, when their actions or behavior are negatively impacting the greater good or the mission at hand. I tell people all the time that there is no one bigger than the cause – not me, not you, not anyone.