I was having a drink with a friend not long ago.
He’s a fellow business owner, and his office employs about 15 people. And he was lamenting about the state of employees today.
His exact words were “Why can’t I find people who care as much as I do?”
I looked at him incredulously (because to me the answer is obvious) and replied “Dude, it’s YOUR NAME on the sign”.
He was actually a little surprised at my answer. And to be honest, I was a little surprised at him being surprised. Because really, what did he expect?
Here’s a fact: To your employees, it’s a job. They don’t care about your livelihood, your profitability, or any of those other things. They care about their paycheck. If you stop paying them, I promise you, they will stop showing up. And that’s the way it ought to be, too.
Business owners make a mistake when they expect people to mimic the owner’s values. Company culture is one thing – expecting people to have the same drive, passion, and resilience as the person who took the risk and started the business is another.