Some Spanish-speaking bosses, to get their employees to work harder use a phrase that transliterates into English as “Wear the (firm’s) shirt”. This is a way of asking employees to show their commitment to the firm in one of many ways including but not limited to working extra hours without retribution.

I have not ever been a fan of this managerial approach; I have never used such a phrase to request anything from the people I have been called to serve. That being said, I certainly appreciate when an employee shows this kind of commitment to the firm, and I try my best to show them my appreciation and gratitude.

One way I attempt to show this appreciation is by pursuing either a promotion or an increase in compensation for employees who show this sort of commitment. Now, this is not to say that I endorse recognition based solely upon tenure or working long-hours; doing this would certainly be detrimental to other employees’ motivation. I do, however, strive to decode how every employee provides value to the firm and subsequently, provide the means to steer their careers to have them achieve their full potential hence, provide even more value to the firm.

I am a believer that firms should, as much as possible, avoid qualifying an individual’s contributions based exclusively on a single set of measurements. Career growth is a shared responsibility where the firm recognizes the abilities of each individual, defines a career path that leverages those abilities, and enables each individual to execute whilst, the individual, remains open to a constant feedback loop and committed to accomplish their career goals.