Story time... My dad has worked for the same company for 20 years. For 18 of these years, he has been the lead engineer for the company. Until about two years ago, the company was acquired. Since the acquesition, the new leadership ran the company into the ground. They took a very healthy company and divided its annual revenue by 5, in 2 years. At one point, I had a conversation with my dad where he shared that he was going to leave and start a competitor. As a business owner, this left me with a very important question: How can 1 leader retain my Dad for 20 years? And another drive my Dad to leave and compete in 2 years? My conclusion: They didnt realize what they were acquiring. A business at its core is a group of people. My Dad's old leader understood this and truely valued his people including my Dad. This respect was then exchanged for my Dad's loyalty. ...