As I was watching the Oscars last March I couldn’t help but be a little depressed. Among the leading contenders for best picture were stories about AIDS, slavery, kidnappings, and some poor fool in love with the voice on his phone. Except for the last scenario, I do applaud Hollywood for keeping the struggles and tragedies of our history in the forefront so we don’t forget, but I also like to see and hear uplifting stories that don’t end in death and tragedy. This is why I believe the leaders at companies should always pump out good news and great stories to inspire their people.

How often have you been speaking with someone while getting coffee and heard that the company just closed a big sale? Or, heard news about a new product that your firm invented and was rated as a hot new technology? In private companies where external communication on certain issues is not mandatory, news of company successes often stays contained among small groups. This information might pump up the feelings of an employee who is contemplating a job or career change away from your organization. Both employee recruitment and retention are keys to a company’s success. If your employees only hear of the failings within your walls, they are likely to look elsewhere for opportunities.

So, how do you start to get this good news out to your employees? If you have a marketing department, these are people trained in constructing and communicating positive messages. Task an individual in marketing to interview a different department head every month and gather news on that team’s recent successes to share with all the employees in the company. Make sure it is a regular occurrence, or there is a chance that the habit will eventually lose focus. Then take advantage of the plethora of free technical vehicles available to get the story out: e-mail blasts, Facebook, and — something every company should have – an internal newsletter. You will be surprised at how quickly people will start relaying and conversing about these stories in a prideful manner.

Remember, something only becomes a great story when someone tells it. Don’t let all of the great things that happen at your company remain unknown, broadcast your successes so they become building blocks for your company’s growing history.

Blog originally published by HRsmart.