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1-Page Summary of The Dream Manager

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Simon, a manager at the Admiral Janitorial Company, saw that his employees were not happy with their work. They would move on to other companies for better opportunities and experience less turnover. To solve this problem, he came up with an idea that changed how people view employee retention. He thought if they could help employees reach their personal goals in life then they’d be more satisfied with their jobs and stay longer.

In today’s business world, companies are facing a severe employee shortage. Baby boomers retire and the labor pool doesn’t have enough high-quality workers to replace them. According to BusinessWeek, 20% of top executive jobs and 25% of management jobs will become vacant in the next few years. Seasoned employees know they can leverage this growing shortage to get what they want from their employers because there is such a small supply of qualified, experienced workers out there for them to choose from. Top-notch employees with many options teach employers a hard lesson: In today’s increasingly callous business world, company loyalty is dead.

To save money, it’s better to keep employees happy. The cost of turnover is expensive, and your business will suffer if you lose good workers. Unfortunately, paying more money isn’t always the solution because some employees are spoiled and want satisfying work environments as well as good wages. Having unhappy workers can cause low morale or trouble maintaining a workforce.

Companies have another problem. Many of their employees are actively hostile to them or seriously disengaged from work. If your average employee is only 70% engaged in his job, you’re paying 30% more than necessary for that person’s salary.

A Happy Person Is a Happy Worker

CEOs who focus on the bottom line and shareholder value without considering their employees are missing the big picture. Ultimately, a company is its people. If those people aren’t happy or thriving, then it’s not going to do well either. So how can you turn your disengaged workforce into an engaged one? How can you make them enthusiastic about coming to work? One way is by starting a dream program where they help attain their ultimate visions. It may seem like a pipe dream at first, but it really isn’t that difficult if you put in some effort.

“If You Only Had a Dream…”

Most people value their dreams the most. They have more energy and are happier when they’re working towards their goals than if they don’t have a goal to work for. On the other hand, without a dream, it’s hard to be enthusiastic or inspired about anything. People who lack passion and enthusiasm aren’t ideal workers because they’re going through life rather than living it fully.

Employees will feel better about themselves and their jobs if they have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. What could you do to help them make this happen? A company dream program would be a great way to achieve that goal.

The “Dream Manager”

To develop a dream program, you need to find a manager who has the skills of both a financial consultant and life coach. The manager will hold individual sessions with employees to discuss their dreams. Then, the manager will help people develop plans to fulfill those dreams within realistic timelines. Managers will follow up with individuals once per month to ensure that they are making progress toward fulfilling their plans.

Managers are important in any organization. They provide the right kind of environment for employees to succeed and achieve their goals. A dream manager is someone who can help you get what you want, but at the same time, hold you accountable for your actions. The dream manager acts as a facilitator by making sure that employees stay on track with their dreams and don’t lose sight of them.