What I learned about making people feel valued during a 15-minute car ride
Something really special that’s happened this year is that different members of our team have traveled with me to in-person events. It’s been awesome not only because I get to spend one-on-one time with them, but also because they get to see firsthand the work that we do and meet our clients. They also get to learn a lot about how other organizations approach leadership and culture.
Some of the teams we work with have cultures where people feel really valued, and their goal in working with me is to strengthen it. Some have cultures where people don't yet feel valued, and I’m there to help bridge the disconnects. No matter what, my role is to bring people together and help them build an environment where people feel cared for.
Not too long ago, I was leaving a workshop that I had just facilitated and that Cheyenne, our Chief of Operations, got to be a part of. A theme of the day had been what leaders and organizations can do to make people feel valued, and it inspired me to reflect on the current state of our own culture. I think we have an environment where everyone feels valued: We have strong relationships, we have freedom and flexibility, everyone works in their sweet spots, everyone feels good about their compensation, and we have things set up so that when the company wins, everyone wins, so the path for growth in compensation is very clear. To me, all those things combined are what make people feel valued, and I believe it is our “secret sauce.”
But I wanted to get another perspective. So, on our drive back from the event, I asked Cheyenne what she thought. I said, “What do you think it is that makes our team feel valued at our company? What is it that makes the biggest difference between feeling valued and not?”
One of the first things Cheyenne said was that even though we didn't always have what we have now in our company, she has always felt valued.
She reflected on her days as a Student Maid team member, specifically when we had a lot of debt. Back then, we didn't have the compensation that we do now. We couldn't afford to pay people what we wanted to, and our wages were far from competitive. Part of that was because in a cleaning business, there are very slim profit margins, but the debt was also a big factor.
In those days, we also didn't have the freedom and flexibility we have now. Student Maid was a 24/7 operation. Not everyone worked in their sweet spots. There was a lot about the cleaning business that was hard, and it required all of us to work in areas that weren't 100% our genius zones because we had to operate as a lean team and wear multiple hats. And yet, during those times, Cheyenne said she still felt valued. I was very curious about that, so I asked her to tell me more. What was our secret sauce back then?
She told me that it came down to transparency and trust. She said I was open about the fact that we weren’t yet where we wanted to be, and I was transparent about why. I shared my vision for a future where we had the freedom, flexibility, and compensation we wanted and deserved. And I also showed people the numbers and was honest about what it would take to get us to that level. I was honest about the fact that it would be a steep climb—and I also shared my confidence in the fact that we could get there together.
I hadn’t always had that level of transparency as a leader. Before Cheyenne joined the team, I kept a lot of things to myself and chose not to be open about them. I just didn’t want to burden people. I felt like these challenges were my responsibility to figure out as a leader. I didn’t want to scare anyone. But throughout my journey with Student Maid, I realized that it felt really lonely—and overwhelming—to keep the challenges to myself. I learned that transparency and trust are deeply connected and that I actually lost a lot of trust when I chose not to be transparent.
It wasn’t until I started sharing the challenges we faced and inviting people in to help me solve them that I started to earn that trust. Together, we determined how we would overcome our obstacles, and I shared my vision for what would be waiting for us on the other side when we did. I also stuck to my promises. One of the biggest promises I fulfilled was that when we paid off our debt, each person on the team got a big bonus and compensation boost proportional to the time they’d been with the company. I honored my word, and that created immense trust on the team.
Cheyenne told me that it was that trust and transparency that she experienced when she first started with the company that made her feel valued. She told me that it’s still what makes her feel valued today. Of course, she very much appreciates the “perks” that we have in our company today, like increased compensation and freedom, but trust is the foundation, and it matters to her more than anything else.
My 15-minute car ride with Cheyenne reminded me that sometimes, I think we can make things bigger than they need to be. I’m not saying that compensation and freedom and those things don’t matter; they do, of course. But what matters more than anything is being honest, being authentic, being transparent, and working together. At the end of the day, these are the foundations that everything else is built upon.
So thank you, Cheyenne, for a meaningful car ride and conversation. Thank you for reminding us all what matters most!
Big hugs,
