Jim Bouchard argues that cutting training budgets destroys businesses. He uses the boiling frog analogy to show how gradual neglect of employee mindset goes unnoticed until performance collapses. Walmart once led in employee care under Sam Walton but suffered when systems replaced genuine leadership.
It's always interesting to me when I find a business leader who's hesitant to invest in mindset development, so-called soft skills training. But over a beer you tell me that attitude and mindset are critical to the success of your business at every level. Where's the disconnect? Mindset is sometimes only tangible in the negative. It's the proverbial scalded frog syndrome. Put a frog in a pan of boiling water and he'll jump right out. Put him in some cool water, turn the heat up slowly, he'll never even notice it. Fail to invest in the mindset development of the people in your organization and you may not even notice the damage until it's too late. You might even realize a little bump in your profit margin in the short term when you reduce non-essential expenditures like soft skills development, mindset training for your sales team, discipline and focus for your management. Don't be a frog. While you're patting yourself on the back for cutting costs, you may be sitting in that pan as the water starts to boil. Somewhere down the line, you realize people are leaving, production's slowing down, sales are dropping off. Why? Because every system and process in your organization needs people to make it work, and people need the right mindset to make those processes work effectively and efficiently. The old martial arts proverb says, "Victory in battle is 10% technique, 90% courage. No technique in business or in battle works without the right mindset. Too many good companies go through this cycle. Walmart used to be the gold standard for how to get people fully vested in the success of the company. That's because Sam Walton understood the importance of mindset. He said outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish. Today, Walmart employees are picketing on peak sales days and fighting company policy in court. What happened? Systems and processes replaced genuine leadership, compassion, and dedication to the personal development of employees. Develop the people in your organization. That's who ultimately makes your business successful. I won't make your business better. I'll make your people better. They'll make your business better.
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