Adapting to Win- the Foundation of Applying Leadership Styles for Recruiting and Retention Efforts

Conversations and debates around monetary compensation aside, let me remind you of the phrase, "People don't quit jobs, they quit bosses." Both the business and military world is experiencing difficulties in talent acquisition and retention of the workforce. Some of the solution is waiting to be embraced- emotional intelligence (EQ) at all levels of the business as a foundational requirement for any leadership style leveraged to improve employee engagement, retention, and even recruiting.

The Navy is experiencing the lowest active duty force in its history, since the year 1940, citing one of the reasons for low numbers as a distrust in institutions. Where does that distrust come from? Much of that distrust, if true, is likely related to current and previous active duty servicemembers who are speaking openly and honestly about their military experience on social media. The Navy (and likely other branches), has recently created a dedicated "recruiter" career path to help bolster recruiting efforts. This recruiting and talent acquisition role in the Navy used to be a temporary assignment, offering a break from primary duties. However, the Navy now views recruiting as so crucial that it offers a full 20-year career path for recruiters. This focus on acquisition mirrors trends in the business world, where record-breaking recruiting efforts are prevalent.

The Gap: Retention efforts in both military and corporate environments pale in comparison to talent acquisition campaigns. As a result, we see high employee turnover, leading to high replacement costs. Some businesses are even "ok" with the costs of replacing their workforce, rather than investing in retaining employees. The gap between recruiting and retaining talent can be bridged in our day to day operations and interactions amongst colleagues and leaders, not in rallying cries of corporate values during recruiting, branding, and general marketing campaigns.

Much of the current retention advice focuses on obvious solutions like increased wages, telework or hybrid work, and of course the empty slogans around the importance and respect for work life balance. There are countless thought leaders and industry experts who have researched and written at length on solutions to retention. While I agree the current discourse appropriate financial compensation as extremely important, we are overlooking the potential for day to day dynamics between leaders and employees as a cost-effective addition to the solution. More focus must be placed on investing in education and training around EQ and leadership styles at all levels of the organization. This modern imbalance, with a lack of scrutiny on day to day dynamics, creates a cycle of disillusionment, disempowerment, and ultimately, high employee turnover.

The Root Cause and a Path Forward: If the concept of EQ is new to you, I am not surprised, but hear me out. It's not "fluff" or feel-good pseudoscience. It is something that even the US military invests a fraction of the budget in developing its leaders through Joint Professional Military Education (JPME). Afterall, unless our parents had a handle on emotional intelligence, emotional regulation, and communication- this interpersonal dynamics skillset is not taught to the majority of US citizens, ever. EQ is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to achieve your goals.?It also involves understanding and positively influencing the emotions (and actions) of others. We have unsurprisingly low EQ in our workforce and leaders- from supervisors to executives- this negatively impacts both talent acquisition and retention efforts.

A Personal Story:?Poor Emotional Intelligence

Early on in my military career, I relied on an authoritarian approach to leadership, lacking the necessary EQ skills to legitimately earn the respect of the Airmen entrusted to me. This unsurprisingly led to disengagement from day to day objectives within my team, and previous employees who will likely despise me forever.?It wasn't until I began to develop EQ towards the end of my active duty career that I saw a positive shift in team dynamics and overall culture of the workplace I was leading. As those final active duty years went on, I noticed a pretty significant problem with low EQ amongst my colleagues, as well. My colleagues and teammates were comprised of highly educated and experienced civilians, active duty members, and government contractors of varying ages. I cannot tell you how many days I spent, on the tax payers' dollar, mediating extreme blowouts between grown adults in an office environment. Mediating fights stemming from poor communication and lack of empathy certainly was not in my job description, but that is a subject for another day.

The Solution: Building Emotional Intelligence (EQ) as a Prerequisite to Leadership Styles

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the key to overcoming challenges in workplace engagement, productivity, retention, and yes- recruiting.?I promised the reader of this series leadership lessons and EQ is the foundation in effectively applying any leadership styles. Do not fret- the breakdown of leadership styles and lessons learned is inbound.

Here's why EQ Matters for Any Leadership Style:

• Fosters Trust: Leaders with high EQ create an environment of trust by being genuine and empathetic. No matter the leadership style leveraged, trust is paramount. Have you noticed the way workplace environments shift in productivity, collaboration, comfort, or enjoyment depending on who the boss is? We experienced this phenomenon a lot while active duty. We even have a catchy phrase for when we work under bad leaders, "This too shall PCS." Meaning- your boss will eventually leave or you will leave to the next assignment, so just wait for this toxic environment to (hopefully) dissipate.
• Dissolves Empty Slogans: Leaders with competent levels of emotional intelligence prioritize understanding employees as entire human beings, their needs, and aspirations. This replaces empty slogans as weak sources of motivation with genuine work environments. When we have an environment of leaders and colleagues with emotional intelligence, we render phrases like "This too shall PCS" unnecessary. Employees will be less likely to fantasize about "Rage Quitting" and "Rage Applying."
• Boosts Retention: Employees with high EQ leaders and teammates feel valued, are respected, and develop a sense of purpose and ownership. All of this leads to increased engagement throughout the workforce and lower turnover. Plus, the news of your very rare work environment will spread, improving your recruiting efforts (and probably saving you a lot in terms of budget previously set aside for recruiting efforts).

Taking Action: Develop Your EQ

Developing your EQ is an ongoing process, but there are several things you can do to get started with the understanding that there really is no overnight change you can create in yourself. I also recognize that you probably already know these things- but putting them into practice is a different story. Even today, I am still working on my own emotional intelligence for the sake of my business and my relationships. This takes time, training, and real-world practice:

• Self-Awareness: Practice recognizing your own emotions and how they impact your behavior.
• Empathy: Actively listen to your team members and try to understand their perspectives.
• Emotional Regulation: Learn to manage your emotions in a healthy way, especially in stressful situations.
• Relationship Management: Develop strong relationships with your team members built on trust and respect.

Moving Forward

This article series will continue to provide my perspective on leadership, recruiting, and retention strategies in light of the overwhelming similarities between the corporate and military worlds. Your takeaway from this article is to invest in your own emotional intelligence- and you are already doing it by making it this far in the series. I highly recommend Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves. By prioritizing genuine connection and emotional intelligence, CEOs and leaders of all sorts can create a work environment that both attracts and retains top talent.