b'Business ManagementHow Can Employee Turnover Return Positive Results?By AileronE very business owner has something thats keptprocess, he saw how the majority of people were not a them up at night. For Bernard Dalichau, Presidentcultural fit for the company.of Lavender Home Care Solutions, it was theFinding out that I had to terminate the majority thought of losing his employees. I put so muchof [those who were not a cultural fit], turned into a effort into hiring them, and I put so much effort intovigorous protection of the mission, vision, and values developing them, the fear of losing people was a hugethat I spent so much time to build, says Bernard.anxiety point I had, he says.The principles to overcoming fear may be simple, butOnce he was able to realign with the mission and the practice takes commitment and support. Heresvalues, he was able to protect them for the sake of the how Bernard confronted his fear and used it to growcompany. and advance his business.Before, my anxiety had crippled me from making A Toxic Environmentdecisions based on our mission and values. But after this shift, people who were hired were selected based With a focus on company growth, Bernards attentionon those stipulations, he explains. had slowly been pulled away from spending as muchUltimately, it was the company culture that helped his time on company culture. I took my eyes off of thepeople become dedicated and committed to the concept of values and mission and culture, explainsbusiness. Our mission and values are really what re-Bernard, and before I knew it, a toxic environment haddedicated people to the business and brought forward grown within the company.a positive response to growth and teamwork, says Bernard began to see his staff acting in ways thatBernard. They now have the mindset of, Whatever is benefited them as individuals, and not as a team.good for the company, is good for all of us.Having worked to bring together a unique set ofUsing Empowering Questions individuals who were each selected for a specific role within his growth strategy, it was concerning to see howAlthough Bernards staff was devoted to the company, the culture was shifting. he realized growth is accelerated when employees My fear turned into anxiety because, at that time, Ican make effective decisions and are empowered to felt that I could not bring them together and thatsproblem-solve on their own.when my fear of losing [employees] really started toBernard attended a workshop where he learned how expound further and cause more stress, he says. Heto use open-ended questions; the techniques he was especially worried about losing a top sales personlearned not only helped him to challenge his thoughts who was a positive influence on the company cultureand assumptions, but it has helped his employees to (and the bottom line). problem-solve. Its about asking the questions and not My fear of losing employees turned into reality wheninterjecting, he explains.the one person who I didnt want to lose, ended upSitting back calmly and listening has been one of the leaving, says Bernard. most important things that has allowed people to feel Facing the Fear empowered in our company. Bernard says it was an important step to be honest withExamples of these empowering questions include: himself about the anxiety he was experiencing. He wasWhat can you do about that?able to identify the true source of the fear by workingHow do you envision the outcome?with certified Leadership Coach and Aileron PresidentWhat about that makes it work?Joni Fedders. The fear of losing people was actually a personal fear of not being adequate enough to trainWhat would you like to see happen?or give them enough information to continue to grow,What do you think is holding you back?says Bernard.Whats another way to look at that?Once I understood where that fear was coming from,In the past, Bernard may have used empowering then I could learn how to talk about it, and how to actquestions without noticing it, but now he uses them with in ways that would instill confidence in the staff, heintention. Now I am specifically and strategically using adds. empowering questions to allow room for growth for my Re-focusing on Culture own staff. Its pretty amazing to watch someone get To overcome the fear and anxiety, Bernard refocusedasked a question, and let them answer it themselves, his energy to work on company culture. During thisand then finding out along with them, that they are 28 www.mrca.orgMidwest Roofer'