by Ken Vincent, Featured Contributor
When you ask someone who he or she works for you typically get an answer that is the name of a company. In a small town you may even get, “I work for Charlie over at Charlie Brown’s Cafe”.
They interpret the question as to who their employer is. Okay, that is fine as far as it goes. But, I hope as an employer no one really works for you. I hope they work WITH you instead. Subtle difference? Not 
really, it isn’t a matter of playing semantics. It is a major difference.
An employee that works for you is working for a paycheck, or benefits, or until something better comes along. A person that works with you has bought into the company culture and objectives and is engaged. That person is part of a team.
If your employees are working for you then you as an employer are doing something wrong. The reality is that any company that is successful is so because of engaged employees, from you down to the newest hire.
As the year draws to a close this is a good time to reassess. Are you hiring the right people? Is it time to examine the processes of orientation, training, and making your employees feel like an important part of your company?
If you only make one New Year’s Resolution it should be to convert those working for you to people that are working with you.
Sometimes the use of term “team” is over-rated. It is difficult for a new hire or the person having the least respected job (as perceived by the public/employer/staff)to feel as though they are on a team. Management regardless of the level does not treat each other the same or as valued players – when was the last time you had maintenance person/housekeeper/backhoe driver/or carpet installer over for dinner along with the corporate personnel outside of the “office party”?
We have developed a culture that a staff person is being trained to leave our company from the day they start – they are trained to become their own corporate company. They know I want them to replace me in time. I have been an entrepreneur for 50-years, a measure of success is having that housekeeper/backhoe driver/or maintenance person become a business owner.
So often we hear that the employees of a department must work as “a team” but what about the company and it’s employees being a larger team as you mention Ken? Show the employees that they are valued and ideas are welcomed and the teamwork will show through.