“When people clarify what matters and leverage their strengths, leaders emerge and anything is possible.”
Tips 4 Tuesday #6: Talent Retention Through Leadership Development
A few years ago, I had the privilege of helping design a leadership development program at Raymour & Flanigan. We studied what separated the truly great leaders from the rest—not just in EBITDA or sales, but in morale, retention, and how many leaders they created behind them.
Fast forward to today, and I’m seeing that same long-term thinking come alive at OneGroup in Syracuse. OneGroup’s CEO Pierre Morriseau – my friend and a remarkable leader – made the decision to invest in their emerging leaders not just with training, but with clarity:
“Want to keep your best people? Invest in their future—and show them how they fit into yours.”
People don’t buy into jobs—they buy into journeys. Start by giving emerging leaders context like:
Founders’ stories are fascinating and every company has one. When you share the purpose and passion that drove the founder you help leaders connect more deeply to the company and their own purpose and passion. This builds pride, ownership, and loyalty.
The best leaders we work with speak to heads AND hearts so people they lead are moved to then use their hands to make the vision a reality. Show your future leaders where the company is going—and why they matter to that journey.
If people can’t see a future with you, they’ll build it somewhere else.
OneGroup isn’t guessing what good leadership looks like. They studied their best performers. They selected them carefully and it is remarkable to be in front of a room full of them – they emit positive energy. They feed off of it.
The result? A clearer picture of what success looks, sounds, and feels like in their culture.
This builds alignment and a standard that people want to grow into.
Development isn’t a one-time event—it’s a way of operating.
By giving emerging leaders tools, feedback, and a community of learning, OneGroup isn’t just training leaders… they’re keeping them.
So, who are your emerging leaders? Do they know where they fit, what’s expected, and how to grow inside your business? Do they even know that you see them as someone you can build on as the company moves forward.
Because if you don’t show them… someone else will.
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