Let's face facts, we all drone on about our staff, team, squad or crew being our greatest asset. I agree, but it's also one of the dullest things business owners ever say.
What gets my goat is how many of those same owners only think about those people between 9 and 5. Monday to Friday. Saturdays too if they're unlucky.
Because a 24-year-old physio can look completely in control treating patients all day, then head home worrying about rent, trying to understand pensions, wondering how they'll ever save for a deposit, or feeling lonely in a city where they don't know anyone.
We'd never treat a patient by only looking at the painful shoulder. We'd want to understand the whole person. For me it was never just about how they walked out after a session, it was how they came back feeling. So why manage staff any differently?
I think we should be doing far more to help young clinicians with the financial side of life. Savings. Pensions. Investing. The stuff nobody teaches you but everyone eventually has to figure out. Most clinic owners could probably organise a session through someone already on their patient list. It would cost next to nothing, but I suspect the value to the team would be enormous.
That's the sort of thing people remember. Not another pizza night. Not another branded hoodie.
Leadership isn't just about creating better clinicians. It's about making life outside work a bit easier too, because that's usually what determines how people show up inside work. We should all be trying to build better lives, knowing you'll build a better business.
The loyalty that follows is almost impossible to buy.