Bright blue is your colour for attraction if you are a male Satin Bowerbird. They are endemic to the eastern and southern eastern coast of Australia and like all bowerbirds, the satin bowerbird shows highly complex courtship behaviours. According to the Field Guide to the birds of Australia, the male Satin Bowerbird is perhaps the best known of all Bowerbirds in Australia.
This fame stems from its practice of building and decorating a bower (two parallel walls of sticks) to attract females. The male decorates it with bright blue colored objects such as blue parrot feathers, bright blue bottle tops, clothes pegs, drinking straws or any other bright blue object they can find. When the female does eventually arrive for inspection, the male Satin Bowerbird leaps into a ritualized display of exaggerated movements, strutting and bowing. His outstretched wings quiver and are accompanied by a series of buzzing and rattling calls.
Clearly the Satin Bowerbird’s value proposition sits in his ability to build, decorate and maintain an extraordinary looking bower and of course, performing a well-rehearsed jig…..
As with the Satin Bowerbird, Companies also work hard in attracting and retaining extraordinary talent. Many studies have been conducted to understand why people join companies, and why they choose to stay. There are many reasons, but in my experience I would say that there are probably three key attraction and retention decision points for employees:
- Value Proposition – A company’s value proposition simply put – is why employees come to work for a Company and why they choose to stay. It is the corporate brand and reputation that primarily drives this decision.
- Leadership – One of the single biggest reasons employees decide to stay at a Company is because of the quality of leadership they are exposed to. More importantly, how does my supervisor treat me? Am I being developed, forced to stretch and grow and is my contribution valued and appreciated?
- Culture – To me culture relates to those intangible things we feel about a Company. Culture is not what the top leadership decides it is going to be – it is how employees choose to work with one another. It permeates through everything we do and say to each other. Culture is created not designated, and we either like the culture or decide this is not what I signed up for.
What is your Company’s color for attraction and retention and how do you support your Company’s value proposition, leadership and culture? Does your Company perform a “jig” when they see great talent?