Leadership Advice

business growth employee retention management strategies

Navigating the Chaos of Business Growth: A Guide for the Modern Manager

A comprehensive guide for business owners on managing growth, retention, safety protocols, and leadership structures. Learn practical insights to build a resilient team.

7 min Feb 26, 2026

business culture family metaphor management psychology

What is the Family Metaphor in Business?

An analysis of why describing your company as a family creates dangerous emotional obligations and how shifting to a high-performing team mindset relieves management stress.

4 min Dec 26, 2025

quiet quitting employee engagement management best practices

What is Quiet Quitting?

Explore the definition of quiet quitting and learn how managers can address employee disengagement and burnout through practical leadership strategies.

4 min Nov 28, 2025

employee burnout mental health at work workplace wellness

The Battery is Dying: why your team's burnout is a business emergency

Learn to spot the early warning signs of employee burnout. A guide for managers on implementing mandatory disconnect times and protecting your team's mental health.

Ben Schmidt 7 min Nov 16, 2025

employee retention staff turnover high performers

The Silent Exit: the real reason your best employee just quit

Discover the true causes of employee turnover. Learn why high performers leave due to bad management and stagnation, not salary, and how to build a retention strategy that works.

Ben Schmidt 8 min Oct 19, 2025

hiring mistakes cost of bad hire recruitment strategy

The Empty Chair Paradox: why silence is better than chaos

Learn to calculate the true cost of an empty seat versus a bad hire. A guide for business owners on managing the stress of being understaffed without making a hiring mistake.

Ben Schmidt 7 min Aug 13, 2025

rage applying employee retention workplace culture

What is Rage Applying?

An analysis of rage applying and its impact on employee retention and workplace culture for business owners and managers.

4 min Jul 25, 2025

team culture business leadership firing employees

The Dangerous Comfort of Calling Your Business a Family

Explore the psychological pitfalls of the family metaphor in business and learn why adopting a high-performance sports team mindset creates healthier, more successful organizations.

Ben Schmidt 8 min Jul 12, 2025

innovation culture psychological safety rewarding failure

The Nobel Prize for Failing: why rewarding effort is the secret to innovation

Learn how to build a culture of innovation by celebrating the 'attempt' rather than just the outcome. A guide for managers on rewarding risk-taking and intelligent failure.

Ben Schmidt 6 min Jun 24, 2025

The SOP they learned six months ago is already fading.

Death of the Binder