The Disco Ball
What are the moments that make an employee decide to stay or leave a job?
I was in the middle of a concert when I saw it.
I was playing my flute in a holiday concert at an assisted living home in the main dining room. The room was bright and warm, and each table held a small vase of fresh flowers. Exercise equipment was stacked slightly unevenly along the wall, showing regular use.
The residents smiled, nodded their heads, and tapped their feet along with the songs. Some had oxygen tanks and walkers beside them, momentarily forgotten while they enjoyed the music.
As I pulled up my sheet music for the next song, a glint of light caught my eye. Right in the center of the room was a disco ball that sparkled and cast mirrored reflections around the ceiling. It gleamed without a speck of dust.
It was easy to picture the residents swaying back and forth underneath it as reflections flitted around the dimly lit room. Probably on a Saturday night with a recording of Moonlight Serenade by the Glen Miller band played for “ladies’ choice.”
It was at this moment that I decided—if I am ever to end up in a retirement home, it must have a disco ball.
The disco ball told me far more than the pamphlet or the website ever could have. You often hear horror stories of how residents are treated in nursing homes. But these residents weren’t stuck in their rooms. They were encouraged to socialize, eat together, listen to music, and exercise. Even with oxygen tanks. Not just live—but thrive. If I end up in a home, that is exactly what I want.
That disco ball reinforced everything I had experienced about this home: a clean, inviting place to be independent, move around and thrive. It symbolized the story of the true experience of living there.
every culture tells a story
Every culture tells a story, and it isn’t the values hanging in the lobby or on the website. It is the day-to-day moments that demonstrate the experience of what it is like to work there. The things that make you choose to be a part of an organization or team—or rapidly leave.
I once interviewed with a company and was invited to a call to receive a verbal job offer. The hiring manager was 15 minutes late and didn’t send a message about being delayed. When they joined, they didn’t acknowledge being late. The company website talked about a great work environment and respect for employees. But this was an indication of what it might be like working there.
What are your disco balls?
Have you ever considered the disco balls on your teams? When employees are hired, do you proactively schedule get-to-know conversations to welcome them? Are emails sent on weekends? Does the leader encourage everyone to take their vacation and fully disconnect?
How do meetings start? What items consistently fall off the agenda of meetings? When are recognition and praise given and for what? Does the team navigate tough conversations or avoid them?
If you are laying people off, do you tell them verbally? Do employees learn they are laid off when they can’t successfully log on? When people resign, are they celebrated or ostracized?
When projects start, do you spend a few minutes discussing what everyone wants out of the experience? Or what the ideal experience might look like? I often ask leaders to consider what it would look like for them to create the best professional experience for their employees’ careers. It’s a thought-provoking question! It forces intention—which is what determines how brightly your disco ball gleams.
Look at the employee experience
Employees and prospects make these observations daily. It’s the accumulation of these experiences that nudge them to accept, stay or leave roles. Don’t look in the rearview mirror for them. Look at any point of the employee experience—from recruiting, onboarding, projects, development, or departures.
“A disco ball is hundreds of pieces of broken glass put together to make a magical ball of light.” ~Unknown
Each of those pieces of glass resembles moments of an employee’s experience. Put them together intentionally.
p.s. I told the story of the disco ball in a keynote last fall. One of the participants sent me a disco ball with the note, “Why wait?” That disco ball now hangs in my kitchen. Every day the sun is out, there is disco-o-clock. Mirrored reflections dance across the floor and walls, and it’s my favorite part of the day. They were right, there is no reason to wait! Find your disco balls in life and celebrate them.
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