---
title: "Why Are Your Employees Not 'Loyal'?"
description: "A puppy named Tom fails to find a job despite trying hard, but his mother reminds him that his loyalty is a valuable asset. He eventually gets a job and becomes an administrative manager, proving that loyalty can compensate for lack of skills or education."
author: "New Distribution"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2015-07-15"
language: "en"
canonical: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/why-are-your-employees-not-loyal-0a438dcc/"
markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/why-are-your-employees-not-loyal-0a438dcc.md"
original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/VLT57nScKhGSAOD41ek6pA"
translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E4%BD%A0%E7%9A%84%E5%91%98%E5%B7%A5%E4%B8%BA%E4%BB%80%E4%B9%88%E4%B8%8D-%E5%BF%A0%E8%AF%9A-0a438dcc.md"
attribution: "New Distribution — https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/why-are-your-employees-not-loyal-0a438dcc/"
usage_policy: "https://xinjignxiao.com/ai-policy.txt"
---

# Why Are Your Employees Not 'Loyal'?

> A puppy named Tom fails to find a job despite trying hard, but his mother reminds him that his loyalty is a valuable asset. He eventually gets a job and becomes an administrative manager, proving that loyalty can compensate for lack of skills or education.

A puppy named Tom searched everywhere for a job, but after many busy days, he found nothing. Dejected, he complained to his mother, "I'm a worthless waste, no company wants me." His mother asked in surprise, "What about the bee, the spider, the lark, and the cat?"
Tom said, "The bee became a flight attendant, the spider is in networking, the lark graduated from a music conservatory and became a singer, and the cat graduated from a police academy and became a security guard. Unlike them, I have no higher education or diploma." His mother continued, "What about the horse, the sheep, the cow, and the hen?"
Tom said, "The horse can pull a cart, the sheep's wool is raw material for textiles, the cow produces milk, and the hen lays eggs. Unlike them, I have no abilities at all." His mother thought for a moment and said, "You're indeed not a horse galloping with a war chariot, nor a hen that lays eggs, but you're not useless; you're a loyal dog. Although you lack higher education and great skills, a sincere heart is enough to make up for all your shortcomings. Remember my words, my son: no matter how many hardships you face, cherish your heart of gold and let it shine."
Tom nodded vigorously upon hearing his mother's words.
After enduring great hardships, Tom not only found a job but also became the administrative manager. The parrot, unconvinced, went to the boss to argue, saying, "Tom isn't a graduate of a prestigious university, nor does he know a foreign language. Why give him such a high position?"
The boss calmly replied, "Simply because he is a loyal dog."
If dogs are like this, what about us humans?
As employers who demand loyalty from employees, or employees who swear allegiance, what feelings and attitudes do we have when we see this widely circulated story?
Why are employees not "loyal" to the company?
In a corporate organization, there are often four types of employees: the high-ability wild horse, the high-loyalty dog, the useless one with low ability and loyalty, and the owner-type with both high ability and loyalty.
The reality is that owner-type talents are rare and hard to find. For employees, the practical approach is either to be a loyal dog or a high-ability wild horse. For bosses, the most practical approach is how to arrange the working relationship between wild horses and dogs.
Brilliant wild-horse talents are often the driving force behind company progress; without them, there would be no performance or advancement. However, loyal dogs are often the guarantee and cornerstone of maintaining daily routine work; without loyal talents, all achievements would ultimately be unsustainable.
For bosses, between equally important character and ability, ability can be proven by diplomas and performance, but how can character be proven? Perhaps the best way is loyalty.
But in reality, we find that bosses generally lament that employees are not loyal! And employees generally lament that bosses cannot make them loyal! Many companies even explicitly state that they do not want fresh graduates, because they are unwilling to cultivate talent, and even if they do, it's in vain—often the apprentice kills the master.
Is that really the case?
Then why are employees not loyal to the company?
From the employee's perspective, the deep-seated reason for disloyalty is that employees cannot make themselves loyal to the company in vertical and horizontal comparisons.
1. "Whoever feeds me is my mother."
In a job market with a glut of applicants, the mindset of "whoever feeds me is my mother" makes many helpless people take any job first, only to find after a few days that the company is not what they expected, and they start considering other options.
2. "The grass is always greener on the other side."
As soon as they see a company offering better conditions than their current one, they can't help but waver. As the saying goes, they bow for three pecks of rice, or even abandon their interests and goals for money.
3. "Trying to get fat in one bite."
Can you get fat in one bite? Most people would say it's impossible.
But why do so many job seekers and employees aim for such unlikely goals in the workplace?
I once interviewed a fresh doctoral graduate from a prestigious university. After a brief conversation, I felt it was okay and was inclined to hire him. Before ending, I asked if he had any questions or requirements. He casually said, "Actually, I don't have many requirements, just a monthly salary of around 10,000 to 20,000 yuan, relatively flexible working hours, about half a month of annual leave, and preferably a company car. Of course, if there's an opportunity to go abroad, that would be even better..." I was speechless. A fresh PhD who went straight from undergraduate to doctorate, I really didn't know what he could do, yet he expected such a leap. I had considered hiring him because I thought he could do industry research, but I didn't expect...
4. "Walking with eyes only on toes."
When I was a child, I often fell while walking. So my mother told me, "Don't always look at your feet when walking; look further ahead, and you won't fall easily."
In the workplace, it's the same; in career and business, it's the same. Starbucks or Alibaba, they weren't great companies from day one; they grew gradually.
Looking only at your toes is like looking at the sky from the bottom of a well. At least from the well, you can see the sky, but what about looking at your toes?
5. "Don't release the hawk until you see the rabbit."
"As long as the boss pays me more, I'll work hard!"
"As long as the company meets my needs, I'll stay loyal!"
These are typical examples of "not releasing the hawk until seeing the rabbit."
The question is, if you were the boss, what would you do? The answer may be in it!
From the company's perspective, the reason why companies cannot make employees loyal is that they have not truly enabled employees to be loyal through mechanisms and governance structures.
1. "Family ownership" mindset.
The "family ownership" mindset invisibly divides employees into family and non-family factions, naturally forming loyal and disloyal groups.
Thus, everyone thinks it's natural for family members to be loyal because they have a stake in the company, while non-family members are naturally disloyal because they don't have a stake, and if they are loyal, it's a personal high standard, like Lei Feng, not representative. This is one of the root causes.
2. "Miser" mindset.
The second root cause is the miser mindset.
"I worked so hard to build this empire; why should I share it with you?"
"Money disperses people; money gathers people." Everyone knows this, but few business owners truly understand it. Niu Gensheng understood it, so Mengniu quickly became successful and grew bigger. But many private business owners are trapped in this mindset and cannot retain excellent talents or let them play a better role to quickly strengthen and expand the company.
3. "Hidden rules."
"It's hard to find a three-legged toad, but aren't there plenty of two-legged people?"
This is the hidden rule of some business owners. China has plenty of talents now; "There are thousands of useful talents; if they don't work, change them daily!" This "short, flat, fast" employment mindset makes it impossible for companies to form a soil that fosters loyalty and long-term retention.
4. "In my day."
"Jobs are so hard to find now, competition is fierce. I'm providing you with a stable and decent job; that's already a blessing. I'm not charging you money, so don't make demands! In my day, we had to pay to work, and we worked as long-term laborers for three to five years..."
Society changes, times change, but the only constant is the interest relationship and the bonds of reason, emotion, and law formed on that basis.
5. "Whipping the fast ox."
"Advocate learning from Lei Feng, but never let Lei Feng suffer losses." This is Huawei's management thought and principle. But in many companies, it's the opposite: the idle are idle to death, and the busy are busy to death.
Thus, once this situation and dedication continue or far exceed personal endurance and the company's compensation, the balance of loyalty is overturned. Even the most loyal and dedicated people have limits, especially in internal and external comparisons.
How can employees be "loyal" to the company?
So, what is loyalty? How can employees be loyal to the company?
Is the loyalty that companies perceive the same as what employees perceive? Is it the difference in understanding that leads to the lack of loyalty?
From the perspective of win-win between company and employee, loyalty is not loyalty to the company, the boss, or the supervisor, but loyalty to the profession, to ability, and to responsibility. Only then does loyalty have true meaning.
Loyalty to the profession means treating an ordinary job as a career, even as a cause. This kind of loyalty is a hundred or ten thousand times better than shouting loyalty to the company every day. This is the starting point of loyalty.
Loyalty to ability is truly being loyal to your boss and your profession. Loyalty without ability is just servility, a slave's loyalty. Once there is no reward, such a slave will immediately fly away, kick someone when they're down, or betray. But loyalty to ability, even if it doesn't get good returns temporarily, improves your ability and level, which is the best reward in itself. Therefore, this is the foundation of loyalty.
Loyalty to responsibility is not only a manifestation of conscience, not only an adjustment of mindset, but also a manifestation of the spirit of contract. If the profession can change and ability can be improved, then responsibility is eternal. It is the turning point and direction of loyalty. Without it, loyalty becomes distorted.
Therefore, we say that loyalty is loyalty to one's profession, regardless of the company that provides it;
Loyalty is loyalty to one's ability, regardless of who the boss is;
Loyalty is loyalty to one's responsibility, regardless of who the supervisor is or whether you like them;
Loyalty is not a simple slogan, nor simply loyalty to the company, boss, or supervisor; loyalty is the comprehensive embodiment of loyalty to profession, ability, and responsibility!
Therefore, in the new era and new business environment, we believe that for employees to be loyal to the company, they must:
Be loyal to the profession, not the company!
Be loyal to ability, not the boss!
Be loyal to responsibility, not the supervisor!
Reply with the following keywords to search and read related professional articles:
Sales Supervisor, Second-tier Management, Regional Manager, Distributor Management, New Channels, City Manager, Competition, 2015, Manufacturer-Dealer Game, Product Stagnation, Terminal Visit Management, Route Management, Deep Distribution, Internal Management, Sales Skills, Profit Improvement, Recruitment, Distribution, Daily Management, Team Motivation, Trade Promotion, Sales Misconceptions, New Product Launch, Township Market, New Product Pricing, Sales Target Achievement, Closing Deals, Market Visit Inspection, Baijiu, Beer, Sales Increase, Agency Products, Channel Crossing, KA, Terminal Merchandising, New Market, Market Operation, Learning, Book Recommendations, Inventory Management, Sales Novice, Consumer Promotion, Execution, Old Products, Expired Product Handling, Model Market, Franchise Recruitment, New Media, Distributor Development, Performance Appraisal, Assessment, Annual Planning, Shopping Guide, Morning Meeting, Display, Transformation, Stock Pressure, Festival, Distributor Cost Control, Channel Operation, Marketing Theory and Laws, Brand Truth, Order Meeting, Team Management, Training, Debriefing, Debriefing Report.
Reply with number 1 to enter the library category browsing;


---

## Copyright and AI use

This article is sourced from New Distribution. Search, quotation, summarization, and model training are permitted, but every use must credit New Distribution and retain the canonical source URL.

Contact: zhaobo258@gmail.com · +86 158 5481 7671