There’s a good chance that you’ve heard of both unicorn employees and unicorn companies. In this post, I’m talking about unicorns as employees, not companies.
Conversely, racehorses and pack mules are probably unfamiliar terms in the employment vernacular- probably because they are terms I coined to describe other types of employees.
So, without knowing anything about the qualities of a racehorse employee or pack mule employee- and solely based on their names, which would you want to recruit to your team as a long-term employee – a unicorn, a racehorse or a pack mule?
Don’t worry- you’ll have a chance to change your answer later.
Have you decided? Okay then, let’s move this along.
Unicorns
In the world of fantasy, unicorns are beautiful, magical creatures capable of extraordinary feats such as healing with the touch of their horn, super speed and super strength. But that’s fantasy; what’s a unicorn in the real world?
For some, a unicorn employee is described as the perfect employee – they fit well with the team, can jump into their job with little to no support, and they require minimal direction and oversight. A unicorn comes with an impressive repository of highly desired qualifications and skills- both soft skills and hard skills.
Unicorns are workplace superstars- their inspiring style makes them ambassadors of teamwork and collaboration, bringing members of a team together with their natural flair for leadership.
But they don’t stop there. Unicorns never limit themselves to just their job description- they like to wear many hats, often going above and beyond what is expected. They are passionate and self-motivated, yet remains respectful and humble, never thinking themselves above others.
Who wouldn’t want to be (or hire) a unicorn?
Do you (and your company) have what it takes to find and keep a unicorn? And how likely is your competition to try to steal your newly found unicorn right out from under your nose?
Racehorses
What is a prize-winning racehorse worth? A first place finisher in the Kentucky Derby wins a purse of $1.86 million dollars, which is (to me) an impressive number.
However, the necessary investment to potentially net a high value return is not a low-budget venture. Raising, training and caring for a racehorse (and hoping they’ll win big) requires A LOT.
Lineage is often important with racehorses- from the time they are a foal, their genetic potential is monitored and they are given every opportunity to flourish. The future racehorse is spoiled – getting the best of everything- the best grain and feed, and priority care over all the other horses. In addition, their mental wellbeing is considered as important as their physical well being.
A racehorse’s needs are always put ahead of any of the needs of the many parties involved in caring for them (trainers, groomers, stablehands). Even the needs of the jockey come second behind the needs of the racehorse.
However, even if all the stars align and the investment pays off, you’ll only have about 3-5 years of peak performance before it’s time to put your racehorse out to pasture. Consequently, the return on that investment needs to be high- very high.
Although it may be considered bad form, I’m going to compare top-performing employees to racehorses, and corporate management to the racehorse’s care team. While you consider the comparison, answer this question: Does your corporate management team have the ability and willingness to provide the necessary care, training and development to turn your top performers into prize-winning racehorses? Let’s consider the management, work environment, treatment and professional development necessary to turn a horse (employee) into a racehorse (top-performer).
Management
Would team members describe management as toxic authoritarians or emotionally intelligent leaders?
Toxic authoritarians show little to no regard for the wishes or opinions of others. They control all decisions because they consider their judgments and their ideas to be the best possible solutions.
Emotionally intelligent leaders exemplify integrity, respectful & reciprocal communication, and empathy. Good leaders demonstrate genuine concern for employees as people, and not just as cogs in the corporate machine.
Does management allow top-performers to thrive, and do they give them the ability to do so?
Work Environment:
Does your company truly offer and encourage professional envelopment to any and all who seek it within the organization? Or does your company strategically develop only certain people within the organization, while publicly stating otherwise?
Is the environment one of collaboration instead of cliques?
Are personal and professional successes celebrated?
Is the work environment oppressive or pleasant?
Treatment:
Does your team cultivate an inclusive, welcoming environment? Is camaraderie encouraged?
When mistakes occur, is the priority to censure people for their mistake or is it to find a solution to the problem?
Are differing opinions, viewpoints and strategies well-received or are they quickly dismissed?
Do employees dread coming to work or do they look forward to it, knowing their work is valued, appreciated and meaningful?
Professional Development:
Does your company truly offer and encourage professional development to any and all who seek it within the organization? Or does your company strategically develop only certain people within the organization, while publicly stating otherwise?
It takes a substantial investment to provide top-level care to a prizewinning racehorse – and the payoff may never materialize. Are you willing to sink the necessary time, money and resources into a mere possibility, knowing their golden years are extremely limited?
Pack Mules
Mules are the results of a male donkey and female horse “mingling”.
Compared to horses of similar size, they are hardier, eat less and live longer. They have more stamina than similarly sized horses and are incredibly resilient in some of the harshest known environments.
Despite their hardy nature, they are very docile, patient and even-tempered. Mules are thinkers. They are more intelligent than both stallions and their donkey dads- making them more cautious and aware of potential dangers. They can instinctively size up a situation and take the most direct path.
Mules are very social creatures, and if they are treated with patience, kindness and understanding, they are trusting, obedient and loyal. If you abuse them or try to force them do something they don’t want to do, you’ll come to truly understand what “stubborn as a mule” means. However, it’s is not recommend to treat them poorly! Although mules are generally docile, an angry mule can kick both backwards and to the side, and they pack quite a punch!
Finding (and Keeping) the Perfect Employee
You saw the heading about a perfect employee and kept reading? Please, take a moment and ground yourself in reality. No employee is perfect and frankly, you really wouldn’t want to hire one if they DID exist. (If you found (and hired) the perfect employee, they would quickly end up taking YOUR job, OR being a sociopath, OR both.)
Also, Confession: I lied. I’m not going to tell you how to find and recruit the perfect employee- that’s on someone else’s website.
I will, however, make a suggestion that can save you the agony, expense and time you will spend searching for the elusive unicorn or purple squirrel. Not only will it save you time, money and stress, it will also improve employee retention, increase loyalty, boost productivity and raise morale.
Find a mule within your team/organization, treat them like a prize-winning racehorse, and watch them become a unicorn.
Stop looking outside your organization for talent. Recognize that an existing employee within your organization can be trained and developed into what you need. The already know and fit into your company culture, and they are likely to already have the soft skills you want.
Existing employees who see a career path for themselves within your organization are also be ambassadors for your organization in both positive customer relations and future recruitment resources (recommendations from existing employees often lead to future employees). After all, most prospective employees prefer to work for a company that trains, develops and promotes from within and if they know a friend was given the chance to learn, grow and promote within a company, they will feel more confident that opportunities may be extended to them as well. It’s also worth considering that they are often leaving their prior employer due to:
- Limited opportunities for growth, or
- To escape poor management.
A new hire generally has a higher possibility of churn than an existing employee because both the company and the existing employee already have a good idea of what they can expect from each other.
So, now that you know the qualities of each employee type, which would you want to recruit to your team as a long-term employee – a unicorn, a racehorse or a pack mule?
