I read about the term “silent quitting”: quitting without any prior warning, just handing in the resignation without a chance to remedy the situation.

Here’s the thing - finding the next job took me effort. I’m not wasting that because the boss suddenly realized they can do better. They needed to figure that out before I took the effort to find my next gig.

And I expect the same now that I’m the boss. I do a one on one meeting with each of my direct reports like clockwork, and I ask probing questions about work conditions, career trajectory, and work/life balance.

It’s not their job to make sure I know if they’re satisfied with their job. It’s my job.

Their job is to do all the other amazing things they do to make me look like an amazing boss.

Is salary the most important factor for you?

My employees have taught me that salary is the least important thing - right up until the moment when it becomes the most important thing. No one knows when that will be: surprise car repair, medical bill, whatever.

People tend to figure out their market value. I’ve never successfully retained a significantly underpaid professional over the long term. Of course, I do always get a healthy discount on the talent I hire. People value a great boss a lot. But having a great manager doesn’t fix a leaking roof, so that discount amount has to be an amount they feel great about, not an insult to them.