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The Path to the Top Starts at the Bottom

The objective is to start at the bottom, not to stay there.

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Regardless of whether you are a recent college graduate, just obtained a two-year associate degree from a vocational school, or did neither and are about to enter the workforce straight out of high school, if I could tell you one thing—aside from “be willing to work your ass off,” it would be this: All you need to know to be at the top is learned at the bottom.

READ THAT AGAIN. Take a moment and let it sink in. We all want to be at the top — to be the top dog, the head honcho, the one calling all the shots. But not everyone is suited to be there, oftentimes because they skipped the lessons they should have learned at the bottom. The value of those at the top is frequently a reflection of their willingness to start at the bottom.

Analyze Romantic Career Notions

Some careers lend itself to idealized notions more than others, but in reality, all demand hard work if you hope to succeed at whatever it is you choose to do. Every career starts somewhere, and more than likely, that’s an entry-level position. 

We start at the bottom and, through persistence and perseverance, make our way up the employment food chain.

Someone who knew a thing or two about food chains is Bobby Flay, successful restaurant owner in a business that is often overly romanticized by aspiring chefs. It should be noted, however, that Flay, who has appeared on numerous Food Network shows like Iron Chef America, Grillin’ & Chillin’, Beat Bobby Flay, Brunch @ Bobby’s, and Throwdown with Bobby Flay, was not always a household name. 

You’d be wrong if you thought he did not first pay his dues spending time at the bottom of an industry known for repetitive tasks like slicing, dicing, chopping, and mincing.

After he dropped out of high school at seventeen, Flay took a job at Joe Allen’s, a popular restaurant in New York’s Theater District, where he spent hours just making salads. While doing this, and “cranking out countless meals,” as he says in his cookbook, Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook, he dreamed of the restaurant concept for Mesa Grill.

“All you need to know to be at the top is learned at the bottom.”

Pay Your Dues to Keep Moving Ahead

Flay’s boss at Joe Allen’s noticed something special about Flay and paid for him to attend NYC’s French Culinary Institute, an investment of time to learn his trade. After this, he worked several jobs learning what it was really like working in the kitchen of a restaurant. 

During this time, he realized he was not quite ready to run his own kitchen. “It was all fine and good to dream big, but I needed the skills first. I had no culinary point of view of my own yet.” And so, he took a job as a chef—not executive chef—at another restaurant where he was introduced to his now trademark southwestern-style flavors.

Flay has since amassed a culinary empire that includes restaurants, TV shows, cookbooks, and food products. His example shows that it takes wisdom to hone your skills in order for your vision to manifest. 

Said another way: Working in another person’s kitchen can help you sharpen the knives that you will use in your own. If you bypass time at the bottom where you learn what is needed to live at the top, the spotlight that shines on you may show not only what you have, but also what you lack.

Cold Calls: A Dose of Reality

In the staffing industry (or any sales related job), the bottom rung is cold calling, what those in the biz call dialing for dollars. For me, that meant plowing through the business Yellow Pages, line by line, hoping someone would pick up the phone so I could discuss the services offered by the firm where I was employed.

I hated doing it, but it had to be done. I didn’t know it then, but making those calls laid the foundation for the numerous business relationships that would ultimately foster the establishment of my two firms, BF Consultants and Encore Professionals Group.

Cold calling—spending time on the bottom rung grinding and cranking away—helped me learn the business. 

When I first started, I knew nothing about the accounting and finance positions I would be filling. I knew nothing about professional services and asking customers about their hiring needs. I knew nothing about business development or being a valued resource for those seeking to identify talent for the companies they worked for. 

I learned about all of it through cold calling, by talking with customers about their challenges and by asking them how I could help. By starting at the bottom, I gained the foundational knowledge that I needed in order to be at the top and, one day, be my own boss.

Many of the deals I now work on come from people I have known for twenty-plus years. Any success I have had in business is in direct proportion to the relationships I cultivated years ago. And many of them started with that dreaded cold call. 

The Bottom: A Place to Visit Not to Live

The objective is to start at the bottom, not to stay there. Entry-level positions are opening points not endpoints. This is the time for your roots to go deep so you remain grounded, no matter how lofty the heights to which you ascend. 

It is the place that helps shape who you are and what type of employee (or employer, perhaps) you will eventually become. Experiencing the progression, and knowing what it feels like, flavors and seasons your character. Tasting what it is like at the bottom does not mean you have to cultivate an appetite for it. But it is essential you know how it tastes.

Chris Fontanella is the founder of Encore Professionals Group, a professional services firm specializing in the identification and placement of accounting and finance candidates in temporary and full-time positions. He previously served as Division Director for Robert Half International and Client Service Director for Resources Global Professionals. Prior to entering the staffing industry, Fontanella spent years studying theology and preparing for ministry, having received his bachelor of arts degree in New Testament Studies from Oral Roberts University, and his master of arts degree in Theological Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of Jump-Start Your Career: Ten Tips to Get You Going, and Tune Up Your Career: Tips & Cautions for Peak Performance in the Workplace. Learn more at chrisfontanella.com.

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Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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