When the initial Dean Bruer letter was shared, I immediately was asked to reach out to see if I could assist in any way. After having several discussions, I didn’t feel like I could make an impact, so let me share with you my story.
I have been tasked with cleaning up companies for the past 24 years and own a national USA-based recruiting firm. Companies reach out from all over the country with concerns about hiring and retaining employees and often a lot of cleanup is needed. Here is why I have chosen to not offer my services.
Everyone in leadership must be onboard or nothing will change—Everyone.
If I need to remove someone in leadership, do I have the authorization to do so? (typically a board is elected to help make these tough decisions).
What are the company beliefs moving forward (must be detailed)?
What does the company culture look like today, and what do we want it to look like in the future?
Why are people leaving?
The list goes on and on when working with companies ,and here is my hesitation. The overseers are not working collectively to move forward positively, and unless they are all onboard or removed not much will change as a whole.
A small company with 100 employees could take 2-5 years to turn around, but only if everyone is ready to make a change. Companies with 1,000 plus employees could take from 5-10 years to turn around, but only if everyone is ready to make a change. With this, you will lose some people, and if you do it correctly you could gain some people, but as long as things move along as they currently are good employees will continue to leave toxic environments.
I share all this at others’ request because cleaning up a mess like this is a huge deal and needs experienced professionals and a ton of $ to get moving in a positive direction. A divided organization is a toxic organization!
By Brandon Laurie
August 14, 2023