One of the awkward things many business owners must decide is what to call their coworkers. Should they be labeled “employees,” “staff,” “crew,” “the workforce,” or some other descriptive term? My choice, after careful research, is to call them associates. If you practice servant-leadership—a style of leadership that endeavors to serve others, rather than focusing on power or trying to take control—then you believe that your goal is to create relationships with potential customers. You and your workers are associating together to serve and to help, which makes for a beneficial relationship.
ACTION ITEM
Address and treat your employees as associates, with respect and dignity. If you do this, they'll soon see themselves as, and start acting like, true associates. But this idea can backfire if your employees don't really see themselves as associates.
Sam Walton's wife convinced him to use the term “associates” when the Wal-Mart empire was in its early days and they were just starting to be successful, both in growth and market share. She believed that, by sharing the bounty, their people would perform and embrace the complete Wal-Mart idea. Did it work? If you've ever been in a Wal-Mart store early in the morning when employees have their store meeting and do the Wal-Mart cheer, you know that these associates truly believe in the values and benefits that their company promotes. Many Wal-Mart associates have since become stockholders and gone on to become quite wealthy.