Abacoa & Alton Neighbors - November 2026

14 A B A C O A & A LT O N N E I G H B O R S | N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 6 I t doesn’t matter what services you provide or what product you sell, you are in the people business. If you are a leader, your employees are your clients/customers. We serve them, and they are people. That business is the business we are in. Here is a little dose of reality: PEOPLE JOIN PEOPLE and PEOPLE LEAVE PEOPLE. If you have been in leadership for a reasonable period of time, you likely have had one of your top performers leave. Boy, that is a hard pill to swallow. Data has proven that money is not always the primary motivator to leave. In fact, today, employee engagement is at an all-time high, in some cases as high as 45%. A relatively new term has been created to identify this phenomenon: “Quiet Quitting”. This should give all leaders a moment of pause and do some self- assessment on critical leadership competencies. First and foremost, just be more aware that there is a possibility that quiet quitting could be happening now in your business. As stated in the title of this article, people joined you voluntarily, and they certainly are capable of leaving. As leaders, we must answer the question: Why should someone follow me? Your people must have a compelling reason to stay beyond compensation. Ideally, we want willing followers. Our position and title are not enough. We must lead. So, the question is: how do we create willing followers? Here are some actions and behaviors to implement. I’m framing them as challenge questions. • Is the leadership in your organization staying connected to your people, and in particular your top performers? Top performers always have options; the mediocre do not. Stay connected. • Is leadership applying the 3 E’s in connecting—ENCOURAGE, EMPOWER, ENGAGE? • Is there an environment for growing and developing your people? • As a leader, are you clear on your vision for the future? And most importantly, do your people know their role in achieving the vision? Lastly, what I have learned is that our people want answers to the following questions. They may never be voiced verbally; however, they do exist. Here are the questions: • DO YOU CARE ABOUT ME? • CAN I TRUST YOU? • HOW WILL YOU HELP ME GROW? You’ll note the first two questions are about your character. The last question is about your competence and resources available. As a reminder, stay connected. People want to feel valued, heard, and seen. You Are In The People Business - By Bob Fashano - Bob Fashano is the founder of Lead One Consulting, LLC, an executive Coaching and Leadership Development Company located in Palm Beach Gardens. Bob Is a certified Executive Coach from the Center for Executive Coaching and a member of the International Coaching Federation. He is the author of a recently released book, "Make Today Your Masterpiece" and a new book to be released in the fourth quarter of 2026. He serves on the Keiser Flagship Advisory Counsel. Keiser University – Flagship Campus