Work/life revelations.
The more secure I get, the less I want people around that are unhealthy. People who we've had on-staff who aren't stable people, who leave a huge wake behind them and just have different values than what we have.
For a while, I was pretty focused on trying to fit in somehow with them. I went to a few HH’s over the years, a few parties, but never felt real comfortable, both with being the owner and also just their conversation and how it all flowed.
Now I can really see how they isolated themselves, and it was definitely a cool club kind of thing happening right in our own office. AND I DIDN'T FIT IN. I didn’t have the ability to change it or confront it really. They picked on people who were different than them, made accusations about others, flounced in and out, built loyalties to each other and not to the company, etc.
On a more positive note, the employee we're picking up from a layoff at another firm in town started today. He's skilled, has experience, doesn't put up with shit, loves to make his own wine. It feels like this is the type of person we could have used many of over the years, not the prima donnas we've picked up.
When I'm calmed down, I know many of the folks leaving are good people. They are friends with each other. They'd help you out if you were pulled over on the side of the road. They just aren't working out for us, and they lack maturity in areas we need. Together, it was a bad mix.