Your employees and team members do not quit their job, they quit your leadership or lack there of. I was listening to Darren Hardy speak on this topic in his Darren Daily this morning and it struck me as true. Then I began to wonder, what kind of leader am I? What kind of leader are you?
Darren gave 6 reasons why team members quit and it's a staggering 1/5 presently are looking for greener pastures. People do not leave jobs, they leave leaders. Why?
Here's the Top 6 Reasons Darren Hardy offered and my take on them:
1. They are over worked and burnt out.
This business may be your life but it ain't theirs. They want to go home at a decent hour and have simple things like coffee breaks and lnon-working lunches. You may be a workaholic, but they can't be expected to be. In fact labor laws insist they aren't.
2. Their time is not respected outside the office, they need rest.
I beat this drum often. Rest & Recovery is essential to top performance. When your team goes home they need to be able to count on their time off being true time off. Don't impose yourself on their free time.
3. They are micro-managed. Do you look over their shoulder? Do you constantly interrupt their flow to put your stamp on the work? Hire people you trust and you know are competent and then get out of their way so they can do their work. No adult wants a babysitter. Give them room to perform, improve and even surprise you. They are going to make mistakes, as you did (and still do) those are teachable moments. Some of my assistants have streamlined "my way" for a better way...I gave them room to do so and was open to receive it.
4. Opportunities for growth are not provided.
My assistants were always shown day one how they could advance to TC (transaction coordinator) which paid more; they could also advance to Realtor and Buyers Agent and so on. I always let them see this was step one of many, not the only step. It motivated them to be better at their current position so they were offered a better one.
5. Their poor performance was tolerated too long. You allowed things to get too off track by trying to be the "nice boss" or worse, you were the absentee leader. Now the relationship is strained and your team member is despondent because what was tolerated for so long is no longer tolerated and the sudden accountability drives them away. Or worse, they stay and your good employees leave for a better way. You can also argue the position they filled wasn't as rewarding as it could have been if they'd only been shown the proper way sooner.
6. They are not feeling appreciated or valued. My sales trainer friend Darren Cecil always says, give "strokes", because people are stroke derived. Picture a kitty purring in your arms while you stroke her or a child cuddled in your lap and you stroke his hair...strokes are compliments, acknowledgment and encouragement. Everybody likes an "at-ta-boy!" or a pat on the back, a "good job!", "Great thinking" or even just a simple "Thank You." Gratitude is sunshine for the soul and it grows loyal and dedicated team members.
Darren Hardy recently trained my group for 3 hours and one of the things he shared stuck with me. He said "Leadership is hard, because when there is a mistake, it's your mistake no matter who on the team caused it. But, when there is a win, the team won, not you, the whole team gets the credit. You have to own your leadership: you enjoy the victories and the buck stops with you when there's mistakes."
1-2. Images courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
3. Image courtesy of AKARAKINGDOMS at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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