The Most Important Characteristic Needed to Lead and Retain People

What is the most important characteristic business leaders need to bring to their position today? Early in my career as a young advertising sales manager in Chicago, my first mentor our VP of Sales was upset with me about a pricing mistake I had made. He phoned me from our corporate office in Kansas and though I was clearly to blame, his reaction, colorful language, and harsh tone during his telephone call with me had crossed the line and was painful to say the least. I won't repeat the words he used here on LinkedIn, but most of them rhymed with duck. I remember going home that night wondering if I had chosen the right leader, company, and career as I was shaken by what had taken place.

The next morning, after being in my office for a few hours, there was a knock on my door and in walked my VP of Sales in person. My initial thought was that I was about to lose my job, but instead the first of many future lessons was about to take place. He explained that after calming down and reflecting, he was disappointed in himself with the manner he spoke to me and was truly sorry, and wanted to let me know in person face to face so he jumped on a plane to come tell me. He also said that before he left he had told our company president about what happened and they discussed how much the organization valued me.

What happened that day taught me so many valuable lessons. People at all levels make mistakes, but it takes an authentic leader to recognize them after the fact and then do something about it right away. My mentor took ownership of his error, and did not need our company president or HR to point it out and step in and tell him to apologize and address what happened. If he did not do this, I could have easily left the organization, or even worse, stayed with a negative outlook of my company and leadership team that could have filtered down to the people I was leading. By apologizing immediately, my mentor not only freed himself of the burden he felt, but more importantly freed me so I could let go of the bad feelings I was experiencing and not become a victim of the situation.

In the end, the human errors we both made that day we learned from and were never repeated again by either of us. I grew with our organization for nearly 15 years until we sold the company and became part of the senior leadership team. Sadly and unexpectedly, my mentor passed away at a young age a few years before the sale. I have never forgotten his lesson and find myself to this day making sure to taste my words before I spit them out when I'm in a sensitive discussion with someone. I then will reflect afterward how I handled the conversation and if needed, will circle back with them right away as a double check in an effort to continue to build trust in our relationship.

Articulating a strategic mission, vision, and clearly defined goals are always viewed as vital components to help lift an organization to the next level. So why do so many companies continue to fall short of being able to scale to new heights in growth and retaining their talented employee base? In today’s business environment (especially now with Millennial's overtaking Baby Boomers as the largest workforce generation), integrity, high ethics, accountability, and principles are viewed as extensions of their managers core being.

What's the bottom line? The choice of resignation or retention for most people often comes down to this simple truth: Having leaders with deeply ingrained instincts of right and wrong is the most vital characteristic needed to attract, retain, and inspire people in your culture.