EP #330 7 Things that Make Your Company a Place People Want to Be
Adding to your team doesn’t always mean hiring more people.
Sometimes it means adding to the experience of the people who are already there.
I have seven ways to give people a better experience of working with you. From allowing someone to try before offering your solution to making sure credit reaches the person who earned it, these practices help people feel capable, connected, and part of something meaningful.
The central message:
Generosity isn’t doing more work for people. It means giving them space to think, recognition they can enjoy, attention that goes beyond a calendar appointment, and opportunities to grow. These are everyday contributions to a culture people want to be part of, whether you lead by title or through your actions.
*Enroll in the “Feeling Generous” Email course 📧
Have a generous weekend.😀
What You'll Learn in Today's Episode:
Give people a chance before you solve the problem. Offer context, boundaries, resources, and support without taking away their opportunity to practice judgment and gain experience.
Recognize achievements without immediately moving the goalposts. Let people experience the accomplishment. Be specific about what they did, why it mattered, and what the team learned from it.
Give your attention, not just a calendar appointment. Prepare for conversations, follow up on previous concerns, remove distractions, and make room for what the other person needs to discuss.
Coach people to build skills—not simply collect answers. Address urgent errors, then return to the learning conversation so people understand how to approach the next situation.
Give quiet contributors consistent connection and recognition. Independence does not eliminate someone’s need for support, development, or acknowledgment. Do not make people change their personality to receive attention.
Follow through on advocacy. Be specific about the introductions, recommendations, or visibility you can provide. Keep your commitments and consider giving people the opportunity to present their own work.
Give credit openly and take responsibility honestly. Name individual contributions when celebrating success. When something goes wrong, examine your own role and model accountability without scapegoating others or absorbing blame that is not yours.
Quotes Worth Sharing:
“There's a difference between helping someone succeed and just taking away their opportunity to work through something.”
“So don't make every situation an emergency.”
“Give people recognition without immediately moving the goalpost.”
“Recognize the progress from their starting point, not only the distance from your preferred result.”
“Don't make someone's celebration the opening sentence of your next correction.”
“Give your attention to people, not just an appointment on the calendar.”
“Give coaching that builds skills, not just answers.”
“Connection without requiring someone to demand it is what you're really giving.”
“Don't promise a promotion, a recognition, or an outcome that you don't control.”
“Advocacy is not the promise to say someone's name. It's following through in a way that actually represents their contribution.”
“Give credit openly and take responsibility honestly.”
“Shared accountability doesn't mean absorbing all the blame, okay? It means telling the truth about everyone's role, including yours.”
“Don't expect instant reassurance or gratitude.”
“Generous culture is built in the small moments.”
“It's built when people repeatedly experience that you want them to contribute, grow, and succeed.”
Resources from Today’s Episode: