Invest in People Never Go Broke

Leading teams has been the highlight of every role I’ve held. I am deeply grateful for the people I’ve had the opportunity to mentor and lead — and I am an infinitely better, smarter, more dynamic person because of their impact on me. Assisting organizations in their understanding of team-building and mentorship is something I am wildly passionate about, because I’ve seen firsthand that when people are invested in, they flourish — and so does the institution around them.

The numbers tell a simple story. Retaining a customer costs less than acquiring a new one. Retaining and promoting staff is far less expensive than losing them, absorbing turnover, and pouring resources into recruiting and onboarding replacements.

But this isn’t just a business equation. It’s a social science truth.

Decades of research in organizational psychology — from Daniel Kahneman’s work on behavioral economics to Amy Edmondson’s studies on psychological safety — show that people thrive in environments where they feel trusted, supported, and valued. Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace Report underscored this once more: employees who feel invested in are 59% less likely to be looking for a new job.

And yet, organizations continue to repeat the same costly mistake. A talented employee asks for growth, raises, or recognition, and the answer is no. Months later, that same organization hires two new people to cover the work this person once did alone — at double the cost and half the efficiency. The data is not deceiving us.

When we Do Invest in People

Some leaders are rewriting the script — and their choices offer a different future:

  • Olipop’s “Summer Recharge” (2025): The soda company mandated a week of PTO for all employees and offered travel stipends for a select few. The result? Higher morale and renewed creativity. Rest wasn’t indulgence; it was strategy.

  • KKR & GeoStabilization (2024): When private equity firm KKR sold GSI, employees shared in a $75 million payout thanks to equity participation. Loyalty deepened, turnover plummeted. Ownership turned workers into stakeholders.

  • Wella’s “We Own Our Way” (2024): The beauty company expanded financial literacy and equity access across its workforce. It reframed financial wellbeing not as a perk, but as a performance driver.

  • Eisai Pharma (2024): By adopting “impact accounting,” Eisai began treating wages, opportunity, and diversity not as expenses but as value creation. People strategy became growth strategy.

What This Looks Like in Real Time

Investing in people is not abstract. It is daily, visible, and measurable. It looks like:

  • Professional growth that is resourced. Training stipends, leadership development, and intentional internal promotions.

  • Transparent recognition. Acknowledging contributions in real time, not just during annual reviews.

  • Shared decision-making. Inviting your team into the strategy room, not just handing down assignments.

  • Compensation that reflects reality. Paying fairly, at or above market, before people have to ask.

  • Well-being as core strategy. Recharge weeks, flexible scheduling, proactive wellness support.

These are not luxuries. They are retention strategies. They are innovation strategies. Ultimately, they are growth strategies.

By the Numbers

The evidence is overwhelming:

  • Replacing an employee can cost 50% to 2× their annual salary.

  • Average turnover costs equal 33% of base pay.

  • Employees who feel they are thriving are 6× more likely to stay — and they bring exponentially greater creativity, energy, and effort.

Organizations that treat investment in people as optional will continue to leak money, energy, and trust. Those that treat it as essential will endure and grow.

The Invitation

If you are a leader, this is your moment to act with courage: to trust both the science and your people. Build a culture that bucks trends, adapts nimbly, and innovates from a place of stability rather than scarcity.

And if you are an employee, remember: workplaces do exist where investment in people is more than rhetoric. Seek them. Stay with them. Build with them.

Because when you invest in people, you never go broke. You create loyalty that compounds, resilience that lasts, and vision that outlives any quarterly report. The organizations willing to invest now will be the ones shaping the future.

And on a personal note — I know this to be true because of the people I’ve been privileged to lead and learn from. They have stretched me, challenged me, and shaped me into a far better leader than I could ever have become alone. Their growth and trust have been the greatest return on investment of my career. That is why I believe so strongly in this: invest in people, never go broke.

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