Your Culture Lives or Dies in the Middle - Why Mid-Level Leaders Matter Most | Kejal Shah : 67

Host: Joseph LewinGuest: Kejal Shah — Talent Consultant • Certified Career Coach • Founder, KeepWay ConsultingThis episode was originally aired on Sep 24, 2024 on LinkedIn🎯 Episode SnapshotJoseph and Kejal unpack why so many businesses struggle to hire and keep good people, and why your mid-level managers are the make-or-break layer for culture, retention, and growth. Kejal shares a practical framework (ADR: Attraction, Development, Retention) and talks about why owners have to stop pretending hiring is “just an HR thing.”This episode was produced by Sell Through Social. 🧠 Begin With the End in MindWhy you can’t treat hiring like “just filling a seat”:Turnover is higher and more expensive than ever.Most companies don’t clearly define what a successful hire looks like before they start interviewing.Kejal has leaders focus on 3 value pillars in candidates:Purpose – Why do they do what they do?Passion – What energizes them?Promises – What do they consistently deliver on?If you don’t clarify this up front and build it into your interview questions, you bake in retention problems before the person even starts.💸 The Real Cost of Hiring (and Re-Hiring)Kejal breaks down why bad hiring is so expensive:For hourly / blue-collar roles, sourcing 1 person can cost:$4K–$8K+ (ads, tools, recruiter/HR time, interview time, onboarding).For white-collar roles, it’s often:$8K–$12K+ just to get them in the door.And that’s before:Onboarding and training timeLost productivityBurden on the rest of the team when someone quitsRestarting the whole process 6–12 months laterMost companies don’t fully count:The time cost of hiring managersThe opportunity cost of a seat being open for monthsThe burnout cost on existing staff covering extra workloadIf you actually total it all up, one bad hire (or one early departure) can easily cost more than building a solid hiring & retention system from the start.🧩 Why Mid-Level Managers Are the Culture GatekeepersKejal’s core conviction:“Your vision and culture live and die in your mid-level leadership team.”Mid-level managers sit in the pressure sandwich:Pressure from the top: owners & executives demanding performance and low turnover.Pressure from the bottom: frontline employees who need support, clarity, and development.Problems that show up if this layer isn’t equipped:Owners get mad: “Why are you losing people? We’re spending all this money on hiring!”Mid-level managers were never trained in:How to hire the right peopleHow to coach and develop themHow to retain and grow themEmployees feel unheard, overworked, and unseen—and leave.If mid-level leaders are not:Bought into the visionGiven real authority & toolsTrained to hire, coach, and retain…then culture, productivity, and retention all start to crumble.🧬 Owners: You Can’t Outsource This ResponsibilityMany owners never learned how to:Attract the right peopleInterview effectivelyDevelop and retain talentYet they still blame mid-level leaders for turnover.The hypocrisy problem:“Do as I say, not as I do” kills trust.Mid-level leaders eventually ask:“What’s your hiring process?”“How are you developing me?”“Where are you investing in people?”When there’s no answer, your best managers leave, and the owner is left wondering what happened.🧱 Key Retention Realities You Can’t IgnoreKejal shared some sobering patterns:First 48–72 hours: New hires decide emotionally if they see themselves staying long-term.Average tenure in many salaried roles: Often 12–16 months before people move on.High performers: If they don’t advance or see a clear path within 12–18 months, they’ll:Move departments or Leave the company altogether.People who job-hop every 1.5–2.5 years often earn: 25–35% more over time than those who stay 5–10 years and only get 5–10% raises.In other words:If you don’t offer growth, compensation, and a future, the market will.🧬 It’s Still a Candidate’s MarketEven with economic uncertainty:Candidates understand that their time is their most valuable asset.Remote work and national talent markets mean: Your local company is now competing with coastal salaries and fully remote roles.Employees are asking: “Is this the best place to invest 75–80% of my waking life?”If your internal opportunity is weaker than what’s outside, A-players will leave.🧱 Kejal’s ADR Framework: Attraction, Development, RetentionKejal uses a three-part system with clients:1️⃣ AttractionBuild a front-end system that actually draws the right candidates:Data first:What are your retention rates over the last 5–10 years?What does it actually cost to hire per role?Recruitment marketing:Smart use of Indeed, LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, etc.Clear and compelling external, internal, and employment value propositions.First impression:Onboarding and first 2 weeks matter immensely.New hires should feel: welcomed, supported, and clear on expectations.2️⃣ DevelopmentKeep people growing or they’ll grow somewhere else:Mentorship & internship programs:Interns can be 25–35% cheaper to bring in and can grow into long-term hires.Visible growth paths:Clear org charts and promotion paths“Here’s exactly how you can grow here over the next 3–5 years.”Skill-building & leadership training:Particularly for mid-level managers—teaching them how to:HireCoachGive feedbackLead people, not just manage tasks.3️⃣ RetentionMake staying the smart move:Regular check-ins & surveys:30 / 60 / 90-day feedback loops to catch issues early.Benefits & incentives that actually signal confidence:Low 401(k) participation = low long-term trust in the company.Fair advancement (not just nepotism or random external hires):If all-stars see outside people parachuting into roles they’ve worked toward for years, they will leave.🧱 The Ideal Team Player TraitsKejal often uses Patrick Lencioni’s framework when helping define “ideal team players”:Humble – Not above learning, feedback, or collaboration.Hungry – Driven to grow, contribute, and take ownership.Smart – Not just IQ, but emotional and relational intelligence.Combine that with Purpose, Passion, Promises, and you have a strong lens for evaluating the right people on the front end.🌐 Where to Find Kejal Shah🌐 Website: www.keeproinc.com💼 LinkedIn: Kejal Shah