Employees don’t quit jobs; they quit lousy bosses.
I talked about one of the major reasons employees become unhappy in my last article on micromanaging. That got me thinking about other things leaders do that make employees leave. The Great Resignation (or Discontent or Reshuffle, whatever you call it today) has provided information on why employees are quitting in large numbers right now.
The hard truth for leaders is that if your employees are unhappy or are leaving in higher numbers, the way you are leading plays a significant role.
Examining your exit interview (EI) data can give you insights for reflection. EI data can give you specific information to help you understand employee perceptions of work and the effectiveness of your leadership style. It can provide insight into the changes you may need to make in the organization and your leadership.
If for some reason, you are not doing exit interviews or are not given
access to the information, there are some common things that leaders do (or don’t
do) that are more likely to cause employees to quit.
Information hoarding – There is a difference between
keeping some information on a need-to-know basis and information
hoarding. Every leader knows that some information is not for everyone at
that moment, but when leaders keep large amounts of information to themselves,
it’s a bad sign. I still run into leaders who think this action is a way to
have job security. If they are the only one who knows what’s going on, they
cannot be fired. This is a false assumption and sends a message that you
do not trust your staff. The sign of outstanding leadership is when your
employees have all the up-to-date, relevant information they need to be
successful at their jobs.
Issue Avoidance – There are many ways leaders become
aware of issues. The crucial part of awareness of the problem is moving to fix
it promptly. When leadership avoids directly dealing with any issue, it
signals that leaders don’t think it is important. Let me be clear, fixing an
issue may be as simple as explaining why it exists and why it cannot be
addressed now. Fixing an issue also doesn’t mean dropping
everything you were working on to fix this new issue. Instead of avoiding the
issue, avoid the black hole of leadership. Ensure you are actively
communicating to the appropriate stakeholders what actions you are taking and
an anticipated timeline (it’s OK to say you don’t have a timeline as long as
you continue to give regular updates.)
My Way or the Highway – The humble leader knows there
are many ways of achieving the same outcome. When leaders insist on their way
being the only way or the best way, they show a lack of inclusive thinking. “My
Way of the Highway” thinking says that you do not value the experiences and
knowledge of your staff. Even those early in their work experience come
with many ideas about working that can lead to innovations and
efficiencies. The best leaders understand that a diversity of knowledge
and approaches produces better results.
Creating an Unsafe Culture – When a culture is unsafe,
employees feel like they will be the target of backlash if they speak up. If
your employees only ask anonymous questions (or very few quickly answered ones)
or your employee surveys have a low response rate, it likely means you do not
have a psychologically safe culture. They don’t want to risk losing their
job; instead, they will find another place to work.
Unexpressed expectations – Have you been surprised by a
performance review? If you have, you’ve run into unexpressed expectations.
Employees cannot read your mind; they only know what is expected of them if you
explicitly tell them. Most employees want to do an excellent job by doing what
is expected. Assume that whatever they are doing, they are doing it because they
think it is expected. If an employee is going off track, it’s your duty
as a leader to have a course correction conversation as soon as you notice
it. This allows them to make corrections and grow. If you wait for
an annual review, you are too late. At best, you will leave your employee
feeling lost and uncertain about how to do a good job. More likely, they will
just start looking for a new job.
Lack of development opportunities – All good employees want
to develop their skills, especially those early in their careers. However, I
still see many companies not providing adequate development opportunities. When
you allow your staff to grow their skills, they feel cared about, and employees
who feel cared about are more likely to stick around. So it should be no
surprise that employees will move on when your company lacks such opportunities.
The best leaders know that their own development is an ongoing journey that requires regular self-reflection. Understanding how others view your behavior can help you see the next steps on your path. If you are guilty of any behaviors above, now is the time to start making changes. Working with a coach can help you make connections between your inner and outer worlds and empower you to make the shifts you need to not only be a badass boss but also improve your overall well-being.
