Dan the monkey decided to start his own banana business. He gathered the best bananas from a secret lush tree and started to sell them in his treehouse neighborhood. Soon, word got out that his banana shop had the biggest and ripest bananas around so monkeys from all over the jungle came to shop. Before long, Dan started opening more and more shops.
Dan’s banana shop flourished and became the talk of the jungle. All the monkeys were appreciative and loved shopping in his stores. They went out of their way to be kind and even share gifts with Dan.
Dan had huge banana dreams and devised a plan to develop his business. He just needed more monkey helpers to transport bananas and work in the shops. Dan began posting signs indicating that he was hiring and the pay was free bananas!
Hundreds of eager monkeys lined up to interview for a job. Dan was thrilled by the candidate turnout, but he did not know how to pick the best workers. He decided to randomly select new employees from the bunch of candidates who showed up to interview. Now that he had the monkey-power, it was time to get to work!
But, the monkeys who did not get jobs were upset. They were not given a chance to even meet with Dan or hear why they weren't selected. The sad monkeys spread their frustrations quickly. Little did Dan know, these monkeys were some of his best customers.
As monkey gossip spread, business began to decline at the banana shops. Dan did not understand why... As he tossed and turned, sleepless that night, he came to the realization that all the job candidates he had turned away were customers who no longer visited his shops. He did not treat them well, and he certainly did not treat them the way he would like to be treated.
Dan felt awful when he finally understood that his lack of consideration had hurt and turned away so many monkeys. He knew he needed to do something to make it up to those he had mistreated.
The next day he asked if his employees would agree to help him gather and deliver free bananas to everyone in the jungle. He included a note with each delivery that expressed his deepest regrets and communicated hope for the future of the banana shops. Dan invited everyone back again for a fair chance at the open jobs, and he promised to treat them better.
To Dan's surprise, monkeys were lined up the next morning to give him a second chance. This time, he was well prepared. He had already instructed his current employees to engage and communicate with all the monkey applicants. They talked to everyone about how the business functioned, shared banana recipes, and provided insight into what qualities they were looking for in new employees. By the end of the day, everyone was excited for the job opportunities rather than discouraged.
Dan continued to live and conduct business in accordance with the Golden Rule. The more he loved and uplifted others, the better he felt about himself, and interestingly enough, the more his business grew.
Why This Monkey Business Matters
People have been incorporating the Golden Rule into their values and morals for thousands of years, and it is still widely acknowledged as the most important value to humankind. But, when life becomes busy, stressful and chaotic, it's easy to disregard the Golden Rule.
Today, organizations are treating their employees and customers with emphasized appreciation because these companies know they are vital for business growth.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to treat those who we do not know well. Subsequently, companies are not treating their candidates very well. This often happens when recruiters and hiring managers have an overwhelming volume of applicants and don’t have the bandwidth to engage every candidate.
The reality is that the majority of candidates aren’t given the consideration they deserve.
The Golden Rule isn't just a phrase to start teaching children in grade school. There is a serious business impact when recruiting teams do not incorporate this mantra into their work behaviors. Let's all learn a lesson from Dan and treat candidates well!
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About the Author: Chris Kafina is a rockstar Business Development Representative at ConveyIQ. Before joining the team he coached youth soccer and attended Wesleyan University. Outside of work you can find him volunteering, traveling, or spending time with his family and two dogs in Boston.
