Post repositioned with permission from Ellen Wood’s LinkedIn Blog:
As a young person growing up I recall my Dad frequently saying that running a business was 95% about the people. At the time I didn’t fully appreciate that, but throughout my own career, that phrase has proven to be totally true. Success begins and ends with people. Your team is not just a cog in the operational machine—they are the engine. When you invest in hiring, nurturing, and aligning your team, the returns go far beyond employee satisfaction. They ripple through your culture, operations, and bottom line.
Through decades of experience working with hundreds of organizations across industries, it has been very clear to me that the way a company approaches its people defines its success. Among all the challenges businesses face, fostering alignment, building a strong culture, and creating accountability are consistently the most impactful—and often the most complex—areas to get right.
Hiring and Retention: The Foundation of a Great Team
When businesses struggle to attract or retain top talent, the ripple effects are significant—high turnover, lower morale, and reduced productivity. Despite this, many leaders approach hiring reactively, scrambling to fill roles rather than strategically building a team that will grow with the organization.
I have seen many business leaders learn the hard way that hiring the wrong person is more costly than leaving a role vacant. In one example out of many, a client we worked with rushed to hire a candidate who looked great on paper but didn’t align with the company’s collaborative culture. Within weeks, the team dynamics started to fray, and within months, the hire left, taking with them time, resources, and team morale. Between the actual hiring costs but also the productivity and morale problems it generally costs a company at least two times the annual salary of a person who is deemed not the right fit. If that number actually showed up on an income statement as a line item expense it would get immediate attention. Instead, much of the “cost” of the mistaken hire is embedded in various areas and lost opportunity. Make no mistake though – the cost is real.
Hiring for alignment with your values and culture is often more important than hiring for skills. While technical expertise can be taught, cultural fit cannot. We recommend using a good personality profile tool (we used Predictive Index) coupled with intentional culture and behavioral interviewing to complement your technical interview. Don’t overlook how the role needs to fit into the organization’s long-term goals. Are you hiring for immediate needs, or are you thinking about how this position will evolve as your company grows?
Retention, meanwhile, requires intentionality. Employees who feel valued and connected to their work are far less likely to leave. This doesn’t mean just offering competitive pay—though that’s critical. It means providing opportunities for growth, fostering a sense of belonging, and ensuring employees understand their role in the broader mission of the company. Never overlook opportunities to recognize the accomplishments of your team and publicly acknowledge them.
At vcfo, we’ve implemented consistent feedback loops to ensure our team members know where they stand and how they can grow. We also celebrate wins, both big and small, to reinforce the behaviors that align with our values. Leaders looking to improve retention should ask themselves:
- Are we investing in our employees’ professional development?
- Do our recognition efforts match the contributions being made?
- Are we listening—and acting—on feedback from our team?
These small, deliberate steps can transform not only your retention rates but also the engagement and productivity of your team.
Culture: The Glue That Holds It All Together
If hiring and retention are the foundation, culture is the glue that holds everything together. At its core, culture is about how your team feels when they think about the company and their role in it. Is their work meaningful? Are they supported? Are they aligned with your mission and values?
At vcfo I was determined to create a culture that reflected my own values: people first, integrity, professionalism, accountability, communication and teamwork. These aren’t just words we put on a website—they’re principles we live by. I want to work with a team of professionals that shares these values. Living these values means creating a space where employees feel empowered and appreciated, even in difficult times.
I recall how vital our culture was during the early days of the pandemic. Like many organizations, we faced significant uncertainty. But because we had built a culture of trust and accountability, our team was able to pivot quickly and effectively. Everyone knew their role, felt empowered to act, and trusted that leadership would be transparent about the path forward.
To strengthen your culture, the first step is to ensure your values are known by all. Assess whether your values are visible in your everyday actions. Are you fostering alignment by consistently communicating your mission? Are you listening to your team, not just through formal channels but in the day-to-day moments that matter? Strong cultures don’t happen by accident—they’re cultivated with intention and care.
Accountability: Turning Culture Into Action
While culture sets the tone, accountability ensures action. Without clear accountability, even the most well-intentioned team can struggle to execute effectively. I’ve seen many businesses falter because roles and responsibilities weren’t clearly defined, leading to confusion and inefficiency.
At vcfo, we have adopted an accountability chart as one of the concepts from the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Unlike traditional org charts, which focus on hierarchy, an accountability chart clarifies what each person is responsible for achieving. It creates transparency and ensures that no task or goal falls through the cracks.
Accountability isn’t about micromanaging—it’s about empowering your team to own their roles. When employees understand their responsibilities and how their work contributes to the organization’s goals, they perform with greater confidence and efficiency.
For leaders, building accountability starts with clarity. Are your expectations clear? Have you provided the tools and support your team needs to succeed? Accountability requires trust, and trust is built through consistent communication and follow-through.
A Unified Approach to “People Matters”
When we talk about “People Matters”, we’re talking about the literal heartbeat of your organization. Hiring and retention, culture, and accountability aren’t isolated efforts—they’re interconnected. Strong hiring practices bring in the right people. A thriving culture keeps them engaged. And accountability ensures they’re equipped to perform at their best.
Through our v360™ tool, we help businesses take a comprehensive look at these areas, identifying opportunities to strengthen their team and unlock untapped potential. One of the most rewarding parts of this work is seeing how small, deliberate changes—like clarifying roles, investing in professional development, or improving communication—can drive transformative results.
Every leader wants their business to thrive, but true success requires more than strategy or systems. It requires investing in your people. If you’re ready to take a deeper dive into how your people operations are impacting your success, I invite you to explore our v360 tool. Together, we can uncover the opportunities that will unlock your team’s full potential and drive meaningful growth.
At the end of the day, people aren’t just part of your business—they are your business.
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