Too many companies say “people are our most important asset”—but treat them like line items on a balance sheet. In this episode of The Leader’s Mindset, host Jason LeDuc sits down with Kyle Smith, Founder & CEO of HRKyle Services, to unpack why most organizations are missing the mark on talent management, recognition, and employee engagement—and how to fix it.Kyle spent 25 years in corporate HR before launching his own company to help businesses rethink how they hire, develop, and retain their people. His philosophy is simple: 95% of employees want to do their best work—yet most policies are built around the 5% who don’t. That’s costing companies innovation, initiative, and trust.👉 In this episode, you’ll learn:• The 95% Rule: Why focusing on your underperformers holds back your entire team.• From Cost to Value: How to view employees as contributors to revenue, not just expenses.• Recognition That Works: Why top performers often feel undervalued—and how to fix it.• Talent Acquisition Done Right: Why “it’s never no, it’s just not right now” can transform your recruiting strategy.• Leadership vs. Bossing: How to transition from tactical oversight to true strategic leadership.• Motivational Interviewing: A powerful communication technique every leader can use in tough conversations.Kyle also shares real stories from his career—how nurturing relationships for years turned into perfect hires, why transactional HR is broken, and how treating every interaction as an opportunity builds loyalty that lasts.💡 If you’re a corporate executive, people manager, HR director, or startup founder, this episode is packed with actionable strategies to help you:• Improve retention and morale.• Build a culture of accountability and innovation.• Recognize and reward top performers effectively.• Strengthen leadership pipelines with smarter development practices.📌 Watch until the end for Kyle’s best advice on networking, building connections, and shifting from tactical to strategic leadership—lessons every leader can use today.💬 Join the ConversationIf this conversation gave you a new perspective, drop a comment below:➡️ What’s ONE thing your company could do better to recognize and retain top talent?Onward and Upward! 🚀✅ If you got value from this episode, do these 3 things:1) Like this video – It helps more people find these insights.2) Subscribe – New leadership content every week!3) Share this episode with a leader who needs to hear this!📌 Exclusive Leadership ProgramsWant to take your leadership development to the next level?📖 Take charge of your own leadership development with our online program: https://www.leducleadership.com/bethebossprogramIf you’re a Human Resources or Learning and Development professional and have a bunch of leaders you’d like to get trained, check out our corporate Leadership Academy for Tech Managers program: https://www.leducleadership.com/leadershipacademy📅 Ready to elevate your leadership skills? Book a discovery call: https://link.marketingmoneymachine.co/widget/bookings/training-discoveryLet’s create the leaders your team deserves.How to reach Kyle:Website: https://hrkyle.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thehrkyle/Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hrkyle/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_hrkyle/How to reach Jason LeDuc:Email: [email protected]: https://www.leducleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-leduc-3469823/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leducleadership