Rob was dependable.
Targets met. Stake- holders trusted him.
His ideas didn’t just sound good—they saved money, won business, streamlined systems.
But in the big meetings, something always happened.
He’d share a strategy.
Silence.
Two minutes later, one of the “favorites” would repeat it—sometimes word for word—and suddenly it was brilliant.
Everyone noticed.
No one resisted.
The department head smiled at her chosen few—rude, overly ambitious, willing to walk over anyone in the room.
They spoke ill of her behind her back.
But in her eyes, they could do no wrong.
Meanwhile, Rob’s contributions were invisible.
Not because they lacked value—
but because value wasn’t the currency in that culture.
Favoritism was.
The unfairness was visible.
The silence louder than words.
Other leaders watched.
Not one stepped in.
They knew it was wrong.
They knew the business was suffering.
But silence was safer than courage.
And so, nothing changed.
For Rob, the lesson was brutal, but clear:
- Talent doesn’t always thrive where politics rules.
- Ignoring value doesn’t just cost people—it costs the business.
- Leadership is not only what you do, but what you allow.
One evening, he closed his laptop, walked out, and didn’t come back.
No outburst.
No farewell speech.
Just quiet conviction: this is not where my best belongs.
And here’s the part too many leaders overlook—
Rob’s story isn’t rare.
- Gallup & Workhuman found employees receiving high-quality recognition are 45% less likely to change organizations over two years. Conversely, those who don’t feel recognized are far more likely to quietly look elsewhere.
- Workday’s 2025 Global Workforce Report warns of a “talent drain hiding in plain sight,” with high performers quietly exiting even in companies that think attrition looks stable.
- NectarHR reports that 71% of employees would be less likely to leave if they were recognized more often.
- TalentLMS reports that many employees feel a persistent undercurrent of dissatisfaction—even if they’re not burnt out yet—that erodes engagement, which tends to lead to eventual departure.
Rob was one of them.
A high performer. Loyal. A difference-maker.
But recognition never came, and favoritism drowned out his value.
Today, he runs his own team.
His people will tell you he’s fair.
He credits ideas openly.
He challenges favoritism fiercely.
And he never lets silence excuse what’s wrong.
Because Rob learned what too many leaders forget:
- When You Protect Favorites Instead Of Fairness,
- You Don’t Just Lose Loyalty—
- You Train Your Best People To Leave.
- And When They Go, They Take The Future With Them.