My son was playing basketball in our driveway one summer day and my wife made the comment that his friends were so nice and courteous. I assured her that our son was just as nice and courteous as those other boys. How did I know this? Watch your kid’s friends when they come to your house to spend time with your son or daughter. I would notice how our kid’s friends would act, the words they would use, or if they played fair and were courteous. I believe this is how our son or daughter behaved when they visited their friend’s houses. I told my wife I believe that when our kids host friends at our house, our kids are on their best behavior because we are there, and they know we are watching what is happening. Their friends aren’t as worried about what we think because we were not their parents. When our kids went to their friend’s house, I am sure they would act as their friends do at our house. Why do I think this? Because we hang out with people we like. We choose our friends because we have things in common and share many of the same values and beliefs. That’s why we choose them as friends!

Do the same with your current employees. Notice their work habits? How do they dress and talk when they are at work? Do they show up for their shifts? Do they make less mistakes than other employees? I’m sure you can add a lot more traits to this list. Employees who have these types of positive traits are employees we would “like to clone”. These are the employees we should be asking, “Do you have a friend or two who would like to work for our company?” Let the best employees know that they are your best employees. Ask them why they enjoy their jobs? My contention is they do, that is one reason they are some of your best employees to start with. People enjoy working with people they like. Think about it, mining your future workforce from recommendations your top employees suggest, just makes good business sense.

I think one of the best places to find good employees starts in your organization. Be proactive and let your top employees know that you want more employees like them. Some owners would push back on this recommendation saying, “If I tell them they are my best employees then they will want more money!” Well Ya! I would suggest paying your top performers a higher wage because they are worth more to your organization. Likewise, I would pay underperforming employees less because they are not as efficient and could even be considered a liability to your organization. Your best people know they are the best and they know they are worth more than the person next to them. Don’t think they haven’t thought of this and they are still with you. Why? Because wages are not the main reason people stay with an organization. It’s about people, if they like you as The Boss and you treat them with dignity and respect, they will stay with your organization because they feel valued. If you don’t believe me, I would suggest you ask them. I have found when I begin working in an organization and I ask people if they feel valued, most people are honest with me and say what they really feel. I can find out in short order if The Boss is a great person to work for or someone they really don’t trust because they will tell me so. Be The Boss that you would like to work for and ask your top performers to recruit their friends to join your great organization. It’s convenient, inexpensive, and above all, it creates results.