It never ceases to amaze me how companies can be overflowing with talent—like, Olympic-level talent—and still manage to treat it the way I treat the vegetables in my fridge: with casual disregard and an inevitable sense of regret. This, my friends, is a leadership problem. And unlike supply chain chaos or that one guy who still can’t figure out Zoom, this is something leadership can control.
Here’s a challenge for any CEO, company president or even any of the slew of VPs:
Tell me—without Googling your own org chart—what your line workers actually have knowledge of. Bonus points if you know their names. Super bonus points if you’ve spoken to them in the last calendar year without a script written by your PR team.
For the last decade, I’ve watched companies repeat the same plot twist every time: they ignore internal talent and then, suddenly, act shocked when morale collapses like a folding chair at a family barbecue. Hiring externally when the perfect candidate is already sitting at a desk eating string cheese? Bold strategy. Terrible outcome. Promoting from within shouldn’t be as rare as a solar eclipse.
What really baffles me is how many leaders proudly hold business degrees… yet apparently skipped the chapter titled “Your Employees Matter, You Absolute Walnut.” Employee value is one of the three foundational pillars of any business model. If you knock that pillar out, congratulations—you’ve built a very expensive Jenga tower.
And yes, companies love plastering their “core values” everywhere—from PowerPoints to posters to coffee mugs nobody asked for (although most love the mugs). But here’s the thing: if employees hear one thing and see another, those values suddenly sound a lot like campaign promises. Inspiring during the speech, absolutely nonexistent the second the applause stops.
Think of employees like plants, kids, or that adorable dog you definitely didn’t adopt just for Instagram content: they need nurturing. When you invest in them, they grow and your company grows. When you don’t, they wilt, shed, or chew through the metaphorical couch cushions of your productivity.
Know your people. Know their talents. Help them thrive. Build succession plans for every role—including your own—so the business can keep growing even if someone (you) decides to suddenly “spend more time with family.”
Be the leader your business actually needs. Earn that lofty paycheck. Or at least pretend to try harder than a wet paper towel trying to hold a bowling ball.
