It’s like herding cats, only different.

A dear friend in the business was telling me years ago about trying to find salespeople. He said once he found folks he felt confident he could hire, it was like a “Goat Rope” to keep track of them and make sure they were doing their jobs. 🤣 🐐

I, of course was in hysterics, but I also needed him to explain this to me. I mean have you ever tried to walk a goat on a rope? I know I haven’t. They sure are cute though. I teach yoga at a place where they conduct “goat hikes”. The goats are not on a rope, they wander all about. They jump up on their hind legs to reach branches on a tree, then they wander off, then they wander back, then they run away, then you have to chase them. And you don’t always catch them. And then if you DO put a rope around their neck, they don’t want to stay with you. Get my point??

It’s certainly hard to find great people, in any industry. If you get 3 out of 10, you are so damn lucky (as the great Dave Matthews would say).

But how do you actually get 10 great people? Carefully, over many years.

I say this because you have to cull relationships carefully. Sometimes people leave who were really great, but they’re having a human experience and you are too stressed yourself to recognize how stressed they are. Sometimes you need to bite the bullet and try to get them to come back. Suck it up buttercup, as they say. In order to have a great team, you have to be a great leader. And in order to be a great leader, you need patience and grace.

And you need to tell the truth, always, even if it hurts. And you need to hear the truth, always, even if it hurts.

Put on your big girl/boy pants and say, “I hear you”. There is no better gift honestly, than to be heard.