It Didn’t Have to Be That Way

A friend of mine shared with me how she just got a new job. It wasn’t her favorite job, but she just couldn’t stay at her previous employment any longer.

I asked her why she changed jobs. She said, “My boss did not appreciate anything I did. In fact, he didn’t really appreciate all the hard work anyone does there. No one lasts longer than a couple years. Then they quit and move on. He constantly has to hire new people.”

The work was very physically demanding, and the hours were long, but it was something she loved. She worked around horses all day. For many years, she has been an equestrian, and it fills her heart to be able to take care of horses every day as a job.

She talked to her boss many times about his attitude and he assured her she was valued as an employee. Over the years she was there, nothing really changed. He didn’t give her more responsibility and did not recognize when she worked over and above her normal job requirements.

It didn’t have to be that way. If her boss would have treated his employees with more respect as people, he would have been able to retain people much longer. Instead of constantly having to hire and train new people, he could have spent his time building a close lasting team of happy people who enjoyed the work and each other.

Why am I telling you this? If you are experiencing similar turnover and frustration with your employees, there are some simple things you can do that will go a long way toward changing your company culture.

  • Listen to what your employees are saying. Find out their real dreams and goals.
  • If they are having frustrations, pay attention to what they say.
  • Then take action to let them know you are serious about changing things.
  • Give them more responsibility than they have. They will respond.

My friend’s boss did a good job of talking about her value in his organization, but his actions showed her how valuable she really was to him – not much.

If you want to make real change, you need to set in motion real action, which will cement your relationships with your employees. And – it’s all about relationships.

Jack Zoellner (Relational Leadership Speaker)

Jack Zoellner is the "Relational Leadership Speaker." He shares his revolutionary 5-step M.A.G.I.C. method for managing workers and radical company culture change through speaking, writing and consulting. For your next event, book Jack here >>