A long-time friend of mine recently resigned from a highly coveted position. She was the Vice President of human resources for a large Canadian organization. She was very dedicated to her career. She worked very hard, quickly climbing up the career ladder. She had a very heavy work load. She rarely worked 9:00am to 5:00pm. She often and tirelessly worked evenings and weekends. She traveled across Canada and the U.S., jumping on and off of planes. Her laptop was her best friend.

She was compensated very well. An enticing salary, excellent benefits, a jaw dropping annual bonus along with stock options. Senior leadership was very happy with her productivity and saw her has an extremely valuable asset to the team. She had reached the top of her career mountain ( or so she thought ) she was not happy. She would often tell me how poorly she was treated and how she never felt valued and appreciated. She resigned, providing 1-month notice to her employer. She had accepted a role closer to home, no travel and far less compensated with a much smaller organization.

She told me that money truly isn’t everything. Money didn’t make her happy. She needed something more. She needed to feel appreciated. She quietly walked away from a six-figure income and she was at peace with her decision.

The moral of the story. Employees want and need to feel appreciated. They want to work in a positive work environment, one that empowers their employees. Yes, money is important, however, today employees look for more then just a large pay cheque. She encouraged me to read the following book. The Monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma.