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Great. Well, welcome back. We're at section four of the Progress Pyramid. So where are we now?

We've talked together about the foundation—your mission, values, behavior, vision, strategy, and structure. Now we move into operations. These are the areas most people live in day-to-day. But I urge you—don’t jump ahead. If your foundation isn’t solid, this part won’t hold.

Let’s start here: unless you’re going to do everything yourself, you need great people.

Now, let me share a secret—and whisper this: great people are attracted to great people.

If you’re struggling to attract great people, it’s likely because you need to become one first. You attract who you are. So if you’re not someone you’d want to work for, don’t grow your team until you’ve done the work on yourself.

Let me tell you a story. There was a guy with a small team—four people. His best person resigned. He was gutted. When asked why, the employee said, “I work my guts out, but you hired this other guy who does nothing and gets paid the same. I’m done.”

So the boss—let’s call him Mr. Leper—asks for help hiring a replacement. Who volunteers? The worst performer. Of course. They’ve got time. So they hire someone just like them. Now you’ve got two greats, two duds.

Guess what? Another great person quits. And the cycle continues—lepers hiring more lepers. Soon, the guy’s team is full of them. I see this often. They call themselves CEO or founder, but really, they’re chief of a leper colony.

Ask yourself: is your business the kind of place you’d send your 21-year-old child? Would it make them better? If not, have a hard look in the mirror.

At Kelly Partners, we’re committed to our people—committed to a great place to work, high standards, and a clear path to progress. Because to build better professionals, you start with better people.

And you need a system—a clear way to attract, engage, develop, retain, and exit. Start with a blank page. Map it out. Write it down. Build an organizational chart. Get clear on who reports to who. Structure your teams.

Look up Gallup’s "12 Elements of Great Managing." Things like:

• I know what’s expected of me.

• I have the tools to do my job.

• Someone encourages my development.

• My opinions count.

Build systems that deliver those outcomes. Use a checklist. Make it real. Write it down.

At Kelly Partners, we’ve built a documented, 17-step recruitment system. We use psychologists. We screen for values and capability. We have standard job ads and standard hiring processes.

Why? Because your people deserve to work with other great people. And great people want to see where they can go. So show them. Build career pathways. Make their progress visible.

If you say people are important, prove it. Show me your systems, your documents, your plan. Most can’t. I see blank paper.

And remember: your people are not machines. They’re not photocopiers limited to 40 pages a minute. They’re Nelson Mandela. They’re Steve Jobs. They’re full of potential.

Your job is to unlock it.

So bring that energy. Build those systems. Invest the time. Show you care.

Because your people will make or break your business. And it starts with you.