5 Avoidable Reasons Employees Leave Their Managers
Marcel Schwantes
Igniting humane leadership to boost retention, productivity, and profits. Deep ideas and strategies for people leaders to create business impact.
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Some years ago, Gallup chairman Jim Clifton made a profound statement that they'll probably never teach you in business school.
"The single biggest decision you make in your job -- bigger than all the rest -- is who you name manager. When you name the wrong person manager, nothing fixes that bad decision. Not compensation, not benefits --nothing."
Everything rises and falls on the strength of leaders. For decades, Gallup's research has stated that the number one predictor for turnover is not giving your employees enough opportunities for progress and development.
Equally important is a clear understanding of what managers are doing that results in their failure.
5 Ways Managers May Fail on the Job
After reviewing the research, scores of current managers continue to do things that prevent their workers from performing at their best. Here are five we need to examine.
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1. Failure to recognize people's talent and strengths
Not recognizing team members' unique strengths and talents beyond a job description and how that translates to high performance is certainly an engagement killer.
People love to use their unique talents and gifts. Good managers will leverage close relationships with employees by finding out what their strengths are and bringing out the best in their employees.
In fact, managers who help employees develop through their strengths and natural talents are more than twice as likely to engage their team members.
2. Failure to communicate more often
The second common mistake that leads to turnover is a lack of communication. Employees whose managers hold regular meetings with them are almost three times as likely to be engaged as employees whose managers do not hold regular meetings with them.
However, mere transactions between managers and employees are not enough. See, employees value communication from their manager not just about the job or task at hand, but also about what happens in their lives outside of work.
Studies show that employees who feel their manager is invested in them as people are more likely to be engaged. The key: be authentic and get to know them.
3. Failure to show transparency
The third mistake managers make that leads to turnover—when this is done repeatedly and intentionally—is hoarding and withholding information.
Often, this happens due to power and control. And control is one of the most effective ways to kill trust.
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The reverse of this is a manager who acts responsibly by sharing information and being transparent with team members about what's happening, whether good or bad.
4.?Failure to truly value people as employees and human beings
The fourth mistake that leads to turnover is a micro-managed environment that stifles the human spirit. We all know what this looks like, so let's focus on how to avoid doing it.
First, ask yourself: am I focusing on my people's development??Do I truly value them as workers and human beings?
Secondly, are you giving your staff consistent feedback, and equally important, are you listening to feedback that will further support staff needs, and improve yourself (and your business, I might add) as a leader?
Lastly, are you letting them give input, express their creativity, and allow them to make decisions on their own?
?5. Failure to listen
The fifth and last mistake that leads to turnover is when managers fail to listen. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Well, I'm not talking about giving someone attention and nodding your head.
Let me put this into a business context. When a manager fails to listen to the collective voice of the team when pursuing a strategy or dealing with a tough customer, chances are team members will not feel cared for, respected, or valued; they'll disengage, and you'll lose them.
When a manager doesn't solicit the opinions of others, especially during change because change is often scary, trust begins to erode, and morale goes down.
So we're talking about a manager who has to stop getting the last word and allow others to give input to important initiatives. The only way to do that is to first listen receptively.
Bringing It Home
Eliminating many of these things will open up all kinds of doors for managers and prevent their best people from leaving.
If you're a manager, it all starts with looking within yourself, having good self-awareness to define your present reality, and then figuring out what leadership behaviors need to be learned and practiced.
Your turn: What other "failures" would you add to this list that keep managers from becoming effective people-leaders? Leave a comment, and let's learn from each other.
About Marcel Schwantes
Marcel Schwantes is a leadership coach and global speaker whose keynotes and workshops spotlight the human side of work. He's been recognized as one of the "Top 101 Global Employee Engagement & Experience Influencers" by Inspiring Workplaces. His work is regularly featured in?media outlets worldwide, including Inc., Business Insider, Fast Company, and CNBC.
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Strategic Program Manager | Program Management ? Risk Management ? Regulatory Compliance ? Learning & Development
11 个月I believe having regular 1:1’s, identifying employee’s desires for growth and development, and assigning them a mentor in accordance with the areas the employee could develop is an excellent way of managing. I would even say, investing in Strength Finders or some other skills based testing would be illuminating for both employee and manager and provides a jumping off place for growth to occur collectively. This establishes an equal playing field and helps everyone further develop their strengths while consciencely not focusing on any weaknesses, percieved or otherwise.
CEO at Personal & Professional Development Limited
11 个月I totally agree with all your points Marcel, and I believe that the root cause of the problem common to all these points is that poor managers simply don't like people. Therefore they don't spend time with their people using these skills. Why? Because they were promoted into management jobs for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps they were good technicians, they could manage themselves efficiently, they could personally deliver results, they were good problem-solvers etc. Hence many managers, I have met , prefer to work alone in a room with their computer , They micro-manage themselves and others, rarely ever delegating, they lack essential people insights like empathy and understanding. To them people are a nuisance they have to tolerate. They see people management as an add-on to their day job, something they have to find time to do when they can fit it in. No wonder their people feel devalued, and used as just another resource. They should of course never have been made managers in the first place. I have been horrified by those chosen to be managers ,for all the wrong reasons.. The key to dealing with poor managers is not to appoint them in the first place! Many manager selection processes need to be drastically reviewed.
Nuclear Restoration Services
11 个月Emotional intelligence is also very important when managing and leading people. I agree with all the contributions and comments so far. Thank you.
Educator, Laboratory Assessor, Accreditation Expert, Retired APAC Peer Body Lead Evaluator and Trainer
11 个月Marcel: Another good one, but I am going to add here that the ones that are failing (about to experience people firing their boss) also fail to prioritize safety of the environment (and I do not mean OSHA H&S here) for people to work in that space, above the manager's need to meet some finite organizational goal. The manager has determined that team members are worth less than the PnL goal or the EBITDA of the organization. The toxicity of such environments hurts the people working there, but it is only the lucky ones that will fire that boss. Everyone else will become a casualty. "Bossing" versus "Leading." If you do not understand leadership, do not become boss. Step aside and let someone more competent do that job. With your mindset, you have become a liability to the whole organisation, regardless of what you were told by the person who put you there. Just me, and yes, I know I am a little passionate about this. ??