So, why do you put so much emphasis on people?
I wrote a blog post 2 years ago, entitled: The Great Departure – A Recruiter’s Guide To Retaining Your Best Talent (read it here – https://talentsearchpartnersinc.com/the-great-departure-a-recruiters-guide-to-retaining-your-best-talent/)
That post did very well, and the feedback supported that…
In it, I discussed the 6 areas where leadership has failed, and it resonated with readers…
One of the benefits of serving under a poor leader is you get to eye witness everything they are doing wrong, which allows you to not repeat those mistakes…
It pained me to watch good people leave that office…
Rather than accept the blame for the revolving door that existed, my then boss blamed those who left, highlighting their weaknesses, rather than taking ownership…
I did what I could to save what was a sinking ship, but the damage was irreparable, and he was delusional…
So, why do you care so much about people and good leadership?
Because, no matter how much you’ve made financially or how large your office is, how you treat people will ultimately determine your success & longevity…
He spent money on “things” to keep the office running, but he treated people like replaceable resources, and not assets…
The office eventually closed.
He said very little, but it was the way he treated us that scarred the most…
It would’ve been an easier pill to swallow if he had yelled, heaved chairs across the office, put holes in the walls, or kicked the water cooler. But it was his silence that pierced. It made you feel like you didn’t exist. Almost like you were being done a favour…
It felt like he kept a life vest in his office, and everyone else was vulnerable…
I vowed to never make another human feel like that; not on my watch…
He ended up alone, and that came as no surprise. Sad, but not surprising.
The best amongst us know how to pull the best out of people. They leverage technology, resources, business intelligence, etc., but they never lose sight of the human factor…
The way you make people feel can either build up or tear down.
My role in recruitment has afforded me the privilege of working with some great people. I am directly tied to an organization’s growth by aligning them with talent, and with that comes great responsibility…
As such, I will not misrepresent an opportunity to a candidate…
The people who were hired to work for my former manager were deceived, quickly realizing that the man they interviewed with, was not the same man they encountered 6 months into the role. The honeymoon phase was short-lived, and the list of casualties kept growing.
The tipping point for me was his inability to see his own errors. In that state, he was incapable of changing, and my days in that office were numbered after that conversation…
Leadership is a responsibility.
It’s not a right, and it’s nothing to boast about…
If you are leading a team of 1 or 30, it’s a responsibility, and how you make people feel will monetize every time…
You won’t need to convince them to go the extra mile. They will go willingly because they know that you will secure their life-vest before you tend to your own…
I know they say that you must first put the oxygen mask on yourself during an aviation emergency, but real leaders put others first…
This is your competitive advantage.