20 Jan Don’t let managers drive good talent away!
With unemployment at 3.9% in Dec, and a record 4.5 million Americans quitting their job in Nov, employers must focus on their current people. This goes for clients outside the US too. Keeping people on the payroll is going to be the key to success for the next several months.
There are many reasons people are currently willingly submitting their resignations such as taking a new role to make more money, or to simply have better work/life balance. However, there are two consistent reasons people quit a job despite broader economic conditions. The first is that they just aren’t suited to the work or how the work needs to be done. These include the tasks, skills, education, environment, competencies, behaviors, and cognitive learning abilities.
The second is that they have a boss or manager who just doesn’t know how to do the “people” part of their leadership role. I see this in all industries and all size companies. In fact, we know that managers have an outsized impact on engagement, productivity, and retention. That means, people don’t quit a job. They fire a boss. Gallup found ONLY 21% of employees strongly agree that their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work. Managers are human. And most just not equipped with the formal training and information required to manage effectively, or how to go about coaching and inspiring each unique person on their team.
Managers say they know how to lead. But in my experience with the CATIL 360 assessments with several clients, most managers have room for improvement. Think of competencies such as emotional awareness, communication (including active listening), developing and motivating others, and composure. Don’t let managers tell you they are great. Because they will. Conflating confidence for competence eventually concludes in a comeuppance.