When uncertainty looms, how do you maintain organizational growth?

Just ask Jim Collins. The bestselling author of Good to Great, How the Mighty Fall and Built to Last addressed this very topic during his keynote speech at last month’s SHRM 2012 Annual Conference and Exposition. Collins has devoted nearly a decade to studying why some companies thrive in uncertainty and others, well, don’t. His conclusion? “It all begins and ends with people.”

Great leaders, Collins said, have the ability to pick the right people. “The x factor of all great leaders is the humility…to pick people better than ourselves,” he told the audience of hiring managers and human resources professionals.  Beyond that, Collins added, great leaders also work to engage these people, saying, “It is outrageous arrogance to neglect people and simultaneously expect them to deliver their best.”

If anyone understands this concept, it is Michael Weinholtz (pictured), CEO of CHG Healthcare, which recently ranked 9^th on the Fortune magazine’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list.  “If you have a strong, people-focused, values-driven culture, it creates satisfied, engaged, motivated people who want to bring their best selves to work every day and want to do a great job and that boosts performance,” he recently told me in a phone interview.

Weinholtz sees a clear link between culture and business performance, organizational growth and financial security. Not only does a culture that “creates satisfied, engaged, motivated people” mean a more productive workforce, but it also means higher retention and lower turnover.

CHG Healthcare also credits its culture with helping the company weather difficult financial times: During the recent economic downturn, at a time when most healthcare staffing companies lost revenue, CHG Healthcare actually grew its revenue, a result of its decision to focus on putting its people first. “Higher retention also means you have more experienced people who are out there executing your strategy every day, and that leads to outperformance [of your competitors] as well,” he adds.

Culture is so important to his business, in fact, that Weinholtz calls it “the most important aspect of our hiring.” Cultural fit is the first thing CHG Healthcare recruiters look for in a candidate; skill set comes second. “We realize no matter how skilled or talented someone is, if they’re not a cultural fit, they’re not going to be happy…and it won’t be a good fit for either of us.”

For all of his emphasis on organizational culture, however, Weinholtz wants to remind other business leaders that it’s not enough just to say you have a strong culture. Companies that truly want to engage their employees and reap the benefits of a strong, employee-focused culture must work at it every single day.

“All companies say, ‘Our employees are our most important asset,’ but not all companies live that…If you live your core values every day, that’s how you create a strong culture where your employees feel valued and appreciated and respected. And that’s what drives motivation.”

About CHG Healthcare Services
Founded in 1979, CHG Healthcare Services is one of the nation’s oldest and largest healthcare staffing firms. The company provides a comprehensive service offering that includes temporary and permanent placement of physicians, allied health professionals and nurses to hospitals and healthcare organizations in all 50 states through such trusted brands as CompHealth, Weatherby Healthcare, RN Network, and Foundation Medical Staffing. Nationally recognized for both workplace and service excellence, CHG is ranked in the Top 10 on FORTUNE magazine’s list of “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America, and is a multi-year recipient of Inavero’s “Best of Staffing” award. To learn more, visit www.chgpulse.com.