The next time I hear someone say, “Our people are our secret sauce,” I will fantasize about a feisty little ol’ Italian woman running up and down a cube farm waving a spoon (or let’s be real, a knife). This impassioned lady means no harm; she simply wants her sauce and the secrets handed down generation to generation to be respected.
Another reason I loathe this expression is because I put gravy on my spaghetti, not sauce. Yes, it’s red but it may as well be liquid gold. I hate to waste a drop.
That is where this organizational metaphor breaks down. If talent was a company’s secret sauce, they would not be overworked, paid below market value or laid off to balance the budget.
What’s intriguing is that the method for treating talent as idyllic “secret sauce” is no secret. It is not private, trademarked or proprietary. Any company can treat its talent well. The differentiation comes from who is willing to commit to the work. Note – the work, not the money. While a budget helps, it is not the sole source. Far more comes from frameworks, values and philosophies nuanced to local needs and desires.
Hold the Sauce
If people are not food and the method is not a secret, what phrase could replace this one?
Talent is our greatest asset. Simple. Accurate.
Talent is often the largest line item on the balance sheet. Talent is investable. Talent is a competitive advantage in the same way patents and intellectual property are. Talent is a differentiator.
Similarly, talent can be acquired (hired), reduced (laid off), sold (spun off) and depreciated (disengagement, outdated skills).
When HR speaks the language of business - often financial - talent can be valued in the same way other crucial assets are.
To the Point
As I sit here mopping the final drops of gravy off my plate with bread, the metaphor mogul in me shudders that I’m calling for the end of an alliterative cutesy phase. However, it’s time. People are not sauce. They’re assets.
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