When was the last time you washed a rental car?

It’s a funny thought. Probably, your answer is, “Well, never!” Most people do not go the extra mile to take care of things that they only have a transactional relationship to.

You have probably also never bought decorations for a rental car or had its oil changed, and you have definitely never paid to have its repairs done. After all, there is no reason to. It is not your car! You have no inspiration to spend your own resources on its well-being.

Now that we have gone through that little thought experiment, let me ask you another question…

Do your people see your company as a rental car?

Are they invested in your organization?

I am not asking if they have invested in it financially or if they have equity in it. I mean, do they have a sense of belonging to your organization? Do they feel connected to its mission and vision? Do they feel like they are an integral part of a larger whole? Are they leaning in and applying themselves as though they are “home?”

Have they bought in completely? Or are they just renting?

You may be wondering why that matters – but trust me, these two states of mind are night and day.

Think of yourself as the employee. Maybe you have been a part of your team for about six months now. When you view your company as a “rental car,” what are you contributing each day?

At first, you may have tried to go above and beyond to make a good impression. But as the days go by, you find yourself less and less inspired to play full out…

Maybe you are showing up a little later; maybe you are leaving a little earlier. Maybe you are not as thorough as you work on your projects. Maybe you are quick to let life get in the way of your work schedule.

Maybe eventually, you are just fulfilling your job description… just checking items off a list. Just doing what you must in order to get by, if that. And maybe you are even seeing how little you can get away with doing and still get paid.

And they do keep paying you, so you keep showing up. It is not challenging. But it is also not fulfilling. You are not growing, and neither are they. You are both simply coasting.

Now, on the other hand…

Imagine instead you feel like you truly belonged to this company. Instead of renting, you have bought in completely… you are part of a whole, working toward a grander goal that you are passionate about.

Now, what are you contributing?

Well, for one thing, you are actually excited about the work you are doing. And that is the thing that makes all the difference!

Being excited about your work means naturally wanting to do more – add more – achieve more – engage more. You are pulling on all of your ingenuity to solve problems. You are dedicating attention to details. You are being authentic with clients and collaborating with your coworkers in synergy.

You are sidestepping conflict, hurdling over obstacles, and looking for opportunities to offer more… because you are invested.

You are growing and you are getting better results for your organization… because you are invested.

You are the kind of employee that companies everywhere would bend over backward to have on their side.

But because you believe in your company, you stay there. And in return, they invest in you. At the end of the day, everyone wins.

Like I said – night and day!

Just imagine the difference it would make in your organization to have a workforce of employees invested in the work that you are accomplishing… teams of talented individuals bought into your mission and vision, going above and beyond to make it happen.

The good news? It is doable. You can transform a team’s mindset from “rent” to “buy-in.”

The bad news? I do not have enough room in this email to get into the “how!”

However, I will be delivering a free training next Thursday, 28 April, at 10 AM ET, on the precise methods you can use to engage and motivate your entire team. If you want a team of employees who feel like they belong working for your organization, you will want to save your seat today.

I hope I’ll see you there – you’ll be glad you came.

Until next time,

Florin