Yesterday, I had a very interesting conversation with a small business owner. She had called me to see if I could help her build her business so we discussed some of the issues of what she thought was holding her back. In her opinion it was because she runs a service based business that relies on staff but yet, the turnover was high. When I asked why the turnover was high the response was that people don’t want to work, don’t want to take direction and just want to get paid good money.
This is not the first time I have heard small business owners complain that there is a shortage of good workers who deserve the money they get paid. I have to challenge that belief. I believe that most people want to work, they want a reliable job that they can stick with and make a valuable contribuiton to, they are happy to work hard and even happier to be challenged to improve and learn new things. When I hear that a business can’t keep staff my curiosity develops around the business owners’ leadership style. Business owners can attract and retain the top talent when they create a positive environment and show strong leadership. People need to be paid a fair wage for their work but will not jump ship for more money if their current working conditions are fulfilling. People want to feel connected to their employer, connected to the work that they do and connected to their colleagues and clients. My question to you as a business leader is, how are you going to make that happen?
