When I was 12 years old and running down a dirt path on a cliff on the banks of the Hudson River, I turned around and exclaimed to my trailing brothers with childish glee, "Ha, ha, you're on the wrong trail!" Immediately upon finishing the sentence, and before I was able to look forward again, I was airborne and fell off the cliff. The path had ended, and I fell more than 8 feet. I wasn't seriously injured and we all had a good laugh. To this day, I hate it when a path ends.

Top-notch employees also hate it when they feel their career path has ended. Perhaps they don't see the equipment rental business as a career. Perhaps employees haven't been made aware of the possibilities at your company. We need to do a much better job of convincing employees and potential employees that the equipment rental business can be a terrific career.

If it isn't getting any easier to keep and develop good help, this is a good time to explore the reasons. You might have one or more excellent employees who are actively planning their departure. Without making promises, employees should be told about the possibilities of advancement at your business. How much compensation might they be making in advanced job titles? What other benefits and perks can they reasonably attain?

Some rental business operators feel that since the rental business is a relatively small business, perhaps career paths are not possible. Even if there are few rungs on the career ladder, it doesn't mean the rewards and satisfaction need to be limited.

Are you a true believer that someone can have a rewarding and satisfying career with you? Hopefully, you don't feel (as some do) that the size or nature of the business is such that employees are never going to see it as a true career and that your efforts to make it more rewarding for employees would not be worth the time and expense.