Speaker 1: He said, and I quote, do you understand? Wait after me, I understand. Two words, maybe three seconds, yet a defining moment in my career. I'm in my mid-20s, maybe 25. I am a single parent, though, and I'm definitely not in a position to lose my job. You see, I've always been taught that you don't quit a job without having a job, and for me, that also translates to you don't put yourself in a position to lose a job without having a job. So what do I say? Honestly, no, I don't agree, but this doesn't necessarily sound like I have a choice at the other side of the question mark. You see, there is a right or wrong answer, and the consequence of the wrong answer is sitting across the table from me behind closed doors with fists pounding on a desk, elevated in stern tone, as I'm looking at a 5-foot, 7-inch man with clearly the power and presence of a giant and the influence to significantly change my life in just one moment with just one wrong answer. Feet after me, I understand, powerless, fearful, and incredibly small. I found safety and yet shame in understanding, yes, I understood, and yes, it was a defining moment in my career. He thought he got compliance, though I knew I had clarity. You see, that day I did what they now refer to as quietly quitting, but not in the sense as it is defined today, because even that would come with consequence. So I gave the appearance that everything was fine, but truthfully I had feelings inside that I was not expressing, and I was far from fine, no, I was done. I was clear that no amount of money could compensate for a lack of respect. So I quit that day, mentally and spirit and heart, emotion and connection, and yet nearly two months later, I tendered my physical resignation, yes, I understood, but the question today is bigger than me. The question today is not from the perspective of the seat that I sat in then, but the seat that I sit in today as a leader for us as leaders, as employers, and as a society. The question is, do we understand? Do we understand the implications of the shift from a predominantly manufacturing economy driven by production, output, and results to a service industry, which requires a model that is built on relationship, connection, and touching people as customers, as opposed to things? Do we understand the shift in workers' mindsets from lifelong employment, employee at will, to employer at will, where employees always have one foot in the door and one foot out and confidently quit without having a job? Do we understand that in the height of COVID, nearly every one of us paused and perhaps considered what it would be like to not work, to both choose and take care of ourselves. Do we understand the shift in power that has occurred from prospective candidates hoping, wishing, and waiting for a response to a job application, and employees feeling powerless, fearful and incredibly small, to a national staffing crisis, where employers are literally playing hide-and-seek for candidates as there are now 2.5 jobs for every candidate? Do we understand that in the face of significant wage wars, that we can't even pay enough, that we will literally bankrupt ourselves as a result of poor leadership, where command and control, do as I say, ask no questions, and repeat after me, have cost and consequence to not only the organization in terms of turnover, market share and profit, but no, truly, it's even bigger than that. Most important, it has a bottom-line impact to the rising cost of supplies, goods and services that every one of us are now paying for today. And yes, we could easily, dismissively attribute all of this to the work ethic of a generation that we have largely chosen to label, and in effect, not relate to, but do we understand even that only serves to render us powerless? Now, more than ever, with 4 plus million employees choosing to quit every month, we can no longer overlook the cost associated with disrespect and poor leadership. Do we understand what we expect and what we need from leaders in creating environments where employees both choose and want to be, and for those of us who do lead, why do we lead? No, seriously, what is our why? What impact will we leave behind? What experiences will we create every day for those that we have the privilege of leading? Do we understand that yesterday's requirements for leadership will no longer serve us today, and that we must reset and raise the bar for what is required of those who lead? And this starts with measuring leaders' effectiveness by expanding the definition of business results with a greater weight placed on people impact. This includes modifying and perhaps even discarding the outdated model of a once-a-year employee performance review while also implementing a frequent reverse review of leaders because a one-way, once-a-year evaluation isn't sufficient when every day employees are determining if leaders and employers are meeting their qualifications and leaving an explanation point, a question mark, or an emoji behind their names. Do we understand that this includes implementing a daily plan to improve leaders' effectiveness by providing training on the soft skills that make a hard difference, like self-awareness, emotional intelligence, empathy, connection, compassion, because after all, leadership truly is an inside job? Do we understand that those we lead want us to see them, to know their story, to know their why, to know what matters most to them, to know what they feel and experience? And all of this requires that we slow down to listen and stop having conversations that tell us everything of nothing and nothing of everything, but genuinely meeting people where they are and having real conversations. But what if, as much as I truly didn't understand then on the other side of repeat after me that I don't understand now, that we don't understand even then, we have a choice. We can choose to do what we did yesterday, and in so doing, we spare ourselves the discomfort that comes with change, or we can choose to be disruptors, we can challenge our assumptions, we can question our beliefs, we can re-examine the stories that we've told ourselves and that which we have accepted as true, and we can change what we do. Do we understand what we stand to gain? Here is what I invite all of us to understand. On the other side of scarcity is abundance, is abundance, that every day that we can create career-defining moments that build, magnify, and increase connection, that as leaders we can be open to the possibilities that come from both right and wrong answers, because I truly see a future where there is a waitlist of candidates, and not because there aren't enough jobs, but instead because we've created environments where employees choose to be and not have to be, where we have the best leaders, who behind closed doors and without, uplift, encourage, empower, and make employees feel tall and safe to be themselves, where lives are enriched, where cultures are transformed, because leaders really are giants who just in one moment change the world. Do we understand that we must start seeing through a different lens, listening for what we don't hear, and answering with new insight? You see, the question was always bigger than me. The question never really was about me. The question was and still is, do we understand?