People First: The Key to Fulfilling Your Organization’s Mission

The world of work is changing. In some respects for the better, but in other ways, not so much. Organizations are struggling to find the sweet spot between prioritizing their mission, securing the necessary funds, and supporting their people. As a result, mission-driven organizations are facing some of the lowest levels of employee engagement and retention. When you step back and consider the unique challenges these organizations often face, it’s not surprising that these priorities sometimes feel like they’re in conflict.

Healthcare, nonprofit, and education sectors are leading the pack when it comes to challenges with retention and employee engagement. These issues aren’t insurmountable, but solving them requires leadership to take the reins—not just employees. The current narrative tends to put too much emphasis on what employees need to do to improve their work experience. But recent studies tell a different story: it’s the organization’s responsibility to create a culture where both the entity and its people can thrive.

Your organization’s goals and your people's needs don’t have to be at odds—they should work together to uplift one another.

“Your number one customers are your people. Look after employees first and then customers last.”
—Ian Hutchinson, author of People Glue

Forbes reports that highly engaged teams are 21% more profitable. These are the employees who bring passion, purpose, and energy to their work. When people feel valued by the organization they serve, they’re more inclined to stick around, perform their roles with excellence, and engage fully in all areas of the organization.

As counterintuitive as it might sound, mission-driven organizations need to become a little less obsessed with the mission and a lot more obsessed with the people who move the mission forward. The mentality must shift from “what I need you to do” to “what can I do for you?” Imagine a different ethic, one where an employee’s next organization benefits even more from their impact because of their current organization's commitment to their personal and professional growth. This form of "altruistic organizational reciprocity" or "developmental reciprocity" isn’t just about immediate gains—it’s about creating a legacy of growth that extends beyond your organization, showing a commitment to the broader ecosystem. It’s about seeing your people as human, with needs and aspirations that extend beyond the 40 hours a week they commit to your organization.

Embracing this approach to leadership and development will optimize the employee experience and grow the organization. If you’re interested in making this change in your approach to workforce development, start by wrestling with these seven simple questions:

• Do my people understand how I am currently working to support them?
• Do my people feel fully supported in their work? If not, why?
• What mechanisms do we have in place to gather insights into how our people are feeling and what they need?
• What are my people’s greatest needs? What are the organization's greatest needs? Can addressing those needs positively impact the organization?
• Does our current organizational budget reflect how much we value our people?
• What budget adjustments can be made to create more opportunities to invest in my people?
• Who can help me invest in the growth and development of my people?

This list of non-exhaustive questions can help your organization simply evaluate where you are, where you need to go, and how you can get there.

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