As a long time dog owner, I have found there is nothing more loyal than your dog who welcomes you with unconditional love when you arrive home from work. On the other hand, there is nothing more terrifying and upsetting than someone else’s dog in your neighborhood that is loose, aggressive and capable of injuring you or your family.

We as owners have a responsibility to provide direction to our pets and a responsibility to keep our dogs from harming others.  As a wise man said, “There are no bad dogs, only bad dog-owners.” Put another way, once you have seen the bad dog, take a hard look at the dog’s owner.

What does a doggie tale have to do with the business world and recruiting?

Today’s business world faces constant challenges. Success is frequently the result of a cohesive team of employees who have overcome obstacles to win new business, retained a critical customer or solved an almost impossible issue. Many times, the sum of the team is greater than the parts, thanks to the team’s leader. Motivating the team and keeping them focused on the mission becomes a true challenge of leadership. Failure to retain good employees and retain critical customers is frequently a sign that leadership has missed its mark.

Great business leaders give their employees a “long leash” and provide the employee with a feeling of empowerment. When such is done well, these employees work harder when their leader is out of the office while less motivated employees are spending some time being “silly” while their weak leaders are not watching them.

It is the weaker leaders that we might liken to a bad dog who may show aggression or intimidation to his or her employees. The result is a team of employees who perform under their potential and spend unproductive time talking about their leader’s weakness and inconsistency.

The distraction alone of discussing the bad leader drives a loss of productivity. While this type of leader is an issue, is this leader really the issue? Who is responsible for this leader? Who is the leader’s manager, and why aren’t they providing appropriate direction to their direct report? Once you have seen the bad leader, shouldn’t you direct your focus to the manager of the bad leader? Is this a situation of, “There are no bad dogs, only bad dog-owners”? How long can a business afford to perform under it’s potential, thanks to a bad dog-owner?

Top performing employees become frustrated and move on. Customer and clients take their business elsewhere. There is no recruiting in the world that can acquire enough replacement employees to overcome the destruction from the bad dog-owner, weak leader. Good money and resources are being thrown away.

Make the commitment and remain committed to being a “Good Dog Owner”. Strong leadership requires being accountable and holding all employees accountable. Leaders need to be strong enough to have good leaders reporting to them. Bring in and build up strong leaders, so you’ll be leading the pack.

About the company
How does a company recruit and  hire the right talent? It is more than just networking within the community of friends and business associates. It requires focusing on results through a process oriented approach. We are committed to reaching a successful outcome. Our recruitment method has repeatedly proven to deliver very qualified senior talent.  We exclusively represent employers in the marketplace as a dedicated resource and discrete trusted advisor. Through original research and industry contacts, we will target qualified candidates and motivate them to consider the opportunity. We screen candidates against key criteria, analyze technical fit along with cultural fit, interview, contact references and present our recommendations. Upon making the offer, we are the employer’s advocate and an active participant in communicating with the candidate until offer acceptance has been secured. Results are guaranteed.