Employees are loyal to people, not companies. Just think about your all time favorite job and I’ll bet you loved the people you worked with, including your boss. Now think about how he or she made you feel about yourself and your work. I have posed this very scenario to participants in my workshops for years and here are some of the typical responses:

• Valued—when I spoke to my supervisor he or she gave me undivided attention and my opinions were really considered.
• Respected—when I made a mistake, the situation was used as a learning experience and not as an opportunity to belittle or harass me.
• Appreciated—when I worked overtime or contributed to a project, my leader always showed sincere appreciation. I felt like a major contributor.
• Significant—my leader trusted me with important assignments and worked hard to give me the autonomy I needed to perform at peak performance.