The “war” for talent is real. Across all industries, companies must compete for people with the right skills and attitude that all great organizations need to grow and sustain success. Without the right “weapons,” it’s a hard battle to win.

Conventional wisdom says the key to winning talent is to be aggressive about salaries, bonuses, stock options, and perks. No reasonable person would disagree that financial reward plays a tremendous role in an employee’s decision to stay in a job. But it’s not the most important variable—not even close.

Engaged, loyal employees are cultivated by a healthy organizational culture—one that invites participation, is free from needless politics, and offers pathways to grow both professionally and personally. For organizations that don’t prioritize their foundational culture or address cultural dysfunction, any other attempt to retain and attract people will effectively be the equivalent of reshuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

Like it or not, all teams are potentially dysfunctional. From the basketball court to the executive suite, politics and confusion are more the rule than the exception. Why? Because teams are made of imperfect, fallible human beings. At the same time, and in beautiful irony, being exceedingly human is also why teams succeed.

A former and quite successful client best expressed the power of teamwork when he once told me, “If you could get all the people in the organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.” When I repeat this to leaders, they immediately nod their heads but in a desperate sort of way. They grasp the truth while simultaneously surrendering to the perceived impossibility of it. Fortunately, there is hope!

Imagine two lists. One contains the qualities that a businessperson should have. The other includes the attributes that most would say they wouldn’t want to have. There’s only one word I can think of that might top both lists: vulnerability. Whether we’re talking about leadership, teamwork, or client service, there is no more powerful attribute than the ability to be genuinely honest about one’s weaknesses, mistakes, and need for help. Nothing inspires trust in another human being like vulnerability. There’s something immensely attractive and inspiring about humility and graciousness.