Written by: Hayden Orme, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
A few years ago, while I was perusing a seaside gift shop on Cape Cod, I came across one of those chalk-painted wooden signs that read, “Yes there are many fish in the sea, but I am a Mermaid.” Brilliant! I thought, what a refreshing perspective captured nicely with a nautical theme. Of course, you can apply this message in almost all areas of life, but what I loved most was its assertion of self-worth and empowerment; while there may be many fish in the sea, there is only one of me, and I am valuable.
At this point, you might be preparing yourself for a spiel on empowerment and knowing one’s worth, but I want to flip the script for a moment. I want to take this time to speak directly to the leaders in the room. The CEOs, executives, department heads, managers, and business owners – in what ways are you empowering your team, and are you seeing them as valuable assets?
These are important questions to ask, not for the humanitarian aspect, but the sheer fact that it’s harder than ever to retain talent. Especially in this new age of remote workspaces, many contributors feel disconnected from the companies for whom they work. We also can’t ignore that people now have more options than ever; people can now work from anywhere in the world. Which begs the question, how can you as a leader retain your talent and provide a reason for them to stay loyal to you?
The biggest mistake I see leaders make is that they treat their talent like fish.
When I worked in corporate there was the all too common notion that ‘everyone is replaceable.’ The idea was that if someone feels like their job is threatened by a line of people ready to replace them, then they will work harder to keep it. It also prevented the talent from getting too confident and kept them grateful for the salaries, workloads, and environment. Back in the day, I’m sure this concept made management more secure, but times are changing and we are seeing higher turnover rates than ever before.
We are in an ‘employee’s market.' Not only are there more jobs, but people have more exposure to their options, as well as direct access to career-related resources. There are even influencers on TikTok and Instagram who teach professionals how to negotiate, set boundaries, and stand up for themselves at work.
It’s also a silly notion that all talent is created equal.
While yes, you can always swap out one Homosapien with a pulse for another, how are you going to replace someone who is truly invaluable? Someone bright, competent, professional, and engaging, who brings a unique skill set and knowledge to their role, who works hard for you, delivers great work, is trustworthy, and upon whom you can truly rely. These are the crème de la crème and naturally, the ones with the most amount of options.
So how do we get quality talent to stay?
As a business owner and employer, I know as well as anyone that more money and benefits can’t always be the answer. For one, most of us don’t have an infinite flow of resources at our disposal, but secondly, there is always going to be a bigger fish. A bigger company, with a bigger budget, and seemingly greener grass (even if it’s super turf). Essentially, you can give someone the world and that’s not enough incentive to stay. This forces us to acknowledge the fact that connection, kindness, appreciation, community, and a positive environment are not only important but imperative in the workplace.
What remains to be true over and over again is that people don’t quit their jobs, they quit their leaders.
They leave a culture, they leave a manager, they leave a team; they leave because they feel unappreciated and undervalued. Most people don’t job hunt for the fun of it (as much as we all love writing 50 different cover letters). No, people start hanging out on Indeed and Linkedin when they are unhappy. It’s the same mentality for why people step out on their relationships; when we as humans feel like we are lacking something in our lives, usually attention and/or appreciation, we search for it somewhere else. We aren’t robots, and our logic and actions are driven more by our emotions than we realize. In most cases, it has little to do with the money and everything to do with fulfilling an innate need. Nobody wants to feel invisible, and many people simply desire to feel seen, heard, and appreciated.
If your talent feels like they don’t have a voice, they aren’t special, and they’re just another fish in the sea for you, then they’re going to keep their options open. You get people to stay by empowering them, making them feel appreciated, and treating them like valuable assets.
“A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected.”
Before I became a business owner, the last time I felt most appreciated and truly invested in my role within a company was when my manager/executive put his full trust in me; imbuing me with a sense of respect and autonomy. In this role, I truly felt empowered, and in turn, I flourished and provided the most exceptional support that I could. It was a collaborative effort with my executive; we had each other’s backs, we built trust and loyalty, and I was genuinely happy to put in my best efforts for him. This was not my highest-paid job and I had long hours, but what kept me there was how I was treated. I felt supported, respected, and admired, and when I went to work I felt as though my contributions meant something; I felt valued.
It comes down to the fact that appreciation is a fundamental human need. We want to feel recognized, we want to feel valuable to the cause, and we want to feel like our efforts aren’t in vain. When employees feel esteemed, their satisfaction and productivity rise and they are motivated to maintain or improve upon their already great work.
You should be so lucky to have them.
If you want your talent to stay loyal to you then you need to switch your mentality from, “I pay you, therefore you do as I say,” to, “I am fortunate to have this person on my team to help my company grow.” In other words, treat them like mermaids! Recognize the fact that your talent is investing massive amounts of their time and energy into your goals and your mission. They are unique individuals with highly valuable knowledge, talents, and experience, and they are choosing to contribute to your company. If you want to retain this kind of talent then you need to give them a reason to stay and invest in you and your business.
Your talent needs to be able to trust that you are going to provide an environment and culture that is going to support them, help them grow individually and professionally, and allow them to thrive. The alternative means that your team loses incentive to commit their efforts to your mission. We saw this during the COVID-19 lockdowns with a wide range of how companies treated their employees; many companies had to shift from thriving to surviving, but there was a broad spectrum of how companies with abundant resources managed their teams during this period. People lost their jobs, bonuses, and PTO; all sense of stability went overboard while it became more and more widely accepted to work remotely in the long term.
The balance of power has shifted, and employees are now searching for the right role. With the confines of a commuting radius no longer being a major obstacle, people's options have opened up and this contributed to the mass resignation. Through this movement, we are seeing that people will even resign without any kind of backup and struggle before they will commit their time and energy to a company they cannot trust.
“Trust is a product of vulnerability that grows over time and requires work, attention, and full engagement.” - Brené Brown
You can probably guess that the way you build trust between yourself and your talent is to… empower them and treat them like valuable assets to your company!
These are key to retaining talent.
Empower them in their roles and trust in their abilities.
Listen to them, value their feedback, and acknowledge their work often.
Appreciate not only what they do, but who they are.
Acknowledge that they have options and it is your job to provide an environment in which they want to work.
It is possible to retain your invaluable talent in a remote environment, you just need to start recognizing them as the mermaids they are.
Hayden Orme, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
For over a decade, prior to launching her own business (Handled. By Hayden & Co.), Hayden supported top executives and teams at companies such as Partners Healthcare, Brightcove, Inc., Novartis and McKesson. She most recently managed the office of the Chairman and CEO of McKesson (a Fortune 5 company at the time). Now as an entrepreneur herself, Hayden leverages her corporate experience and her unique “get it” factor. With her intuitive and pragmatic approach, she will guide you through detailed directions to orchestrate the growth you want to create for your brand and business.
Supplementing over 13 years in the corporate world, as a licensed 50-Ton Master Merchant Mariner, Hayden has captained yacht charters and delivered private sailboats. During her tenure managing and growing a Boston-based charter company, Hayden was awarded “The Top 10 Meeting Planners” by Women’s Business Boston and also featured in Boston Business Journal’s “On the Move” for Business Services. Hayden was recently added to the Brainz CREA Global Awards list for 2021.
Her dynamic professional history culminates in a very unique ability to anticipate needs, recalibrate for change, multi-task, manage multiple demands, strategize, envision and execute the best path forward with a keen intuition, a discerning eye, compassion, trust and reliability.
Hayden and her team of uniquely experienced consultants, executive assistants, project and digital marketing managers, and graphic designers collaboratively guide and support their clients, empowering the CEO within every entrepreneur. Working with Hayden is a unique experience. With her you know you’re not alone; you have a trusted confidant and guide to help you grow your business and step into your own CEO confidence factor.
Hayden is passionate about animals, dedicating time to volunteer with various animal rescue leagues wherever she has lived. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the non-profit Craniocervical Foundation, is an international speaker, an international bestselling author, and lives in New Hampshire.
