How to Lose a Superstar Employee (And Pay Four Times More to Replace Them)

Let me tell you a story about Carl.

Carl was a rockstar employee—passionate, driven, and completely invested in his company's mission. Then the pandemic hit. Most employees were furloughed. Carl wasn’t. Instead, he was asked to work half-time. But Carl didn’t do half-time. He kept working full-time—even though he wasn’t getting paid for it. (HR friends, cover your ears.)??

Then, the world reopened, revenue bounced back, and customers returned. But Carl was exhausted. He needed help, but when he asked for resources, leadership said no.?Why? Because their superstar had unknowingly conditioned them to believe he could handle anything. He had done more with less for so long that they assumed he didn’t actually?need?support.

But Carl wasn’t superhuman; he was just human with needs and limitations.

He had zero bandwidth for more work and felt unappreciated and used, so he resigned. Now, the company pays a managed services firm?four times his salary?to do the same job.

What happened? They broke the golden rule of employee retention:?You cannot expect someone to thrive while being buried under an impossible workload.

When is enough enough?

Marie Kondo says if something doesn’t spark joy, you should thank it for its service and let it go. Businesses should do the same—with their workloads.

? You cannot be?strategic?if your team doesn’t have space to pause, reflect, and plan.

? You cannot?innovate?if your people are buried under meaningless tasks.

? You cannot expect employees to?thrive?if they are running on empty.

So here’s a simple but powerful question to ask your team:

“What should we start, stop, or continue doing?”

The answers will reveal where your team is overwhelmed, what work is truly valuable, and how you can create a workplace where people?want to be, not just a place they have to be.

Let’s Fix This Together

No leader sets out to create a toxic work environment. But many teams find themselves stuck in cultures that drain energy, kill engagement, and stifle performance. The good news? You can fix this.

That’s exactly why I wrote?Help Them Thrive?. And it’s why I speak to organizations that are ready to rehumanize leadership, eliminate burnout, and build teams that actually?thrive.

??Need a roadmap to an engaged, high-performing culture??Grab a copy of?Help Them Thrive?.

??Want a hands-on experience to help your leaders create a thriving workplace??Book me to present?Help Them Thrive?: Lead with Humanity and Cultivate the Best in Yourself and Others.

Let’s stop losing our best people. We can build workplaces where employees feel valued, supported, and excited to come to work.

Let’s help them thrive.