Wednesday, February 1, 2012

High Performers Are Leaving – Who’s At Fault? – Their Bosses

Still another recent survey, this one by Right Management, revealed, “three out of four organizations lost high-performing employees they did not want to lose during the past year.”  Even in a slow job market? What is making them leave? The survey suggested that many factors come into play and like many we have seen, this survey continued with the theme that the number one reason someone leaves their organization is their boss.
The survey continues to state “if your managers aren’t able to communicate effectively and build connections with employees, they’re helping push those top performers out the door”.
All of this is not news. I often put it more bluntly in our leadership workshops. I suggest that the number one reason your best employees leave is that their boss sucks. This is blunt, direct and full of the truth. Seems to fit with my coaching style that has been described as “one of benevolent irreverence”. A truth that seems to get the attention of the leaders that show up in our workshops. This statement quiets the finger pointing upwards when leaders want to accuse their bosses of ineffective leadership. They then realize that they have people reporting to them that are pointing fingers directly at them.
Our concern is are we reaching all the leaders? The ones that attend leadership workshops and use coaches to develop their leadership talent are only a small fraction of those in position to affect performers in their workplace. We still see a significant amount of people in leadership roles that got there on the rail tracks of their technical competence. From there they continue to operate in their comfort zones of what got them there. The rub is their technical competence no longer provides them with the tools to effectively lead teams. The result is poor and ineffective leadership and employees choosing to leave to hopefully find greener leadership pastures to graze in.
The Right Management survey left readers with four key questions to ponder:
-    What are you doing to avoid being part of the 75% of companies that have lost top talent in the past year?
-    How are you taking care of your top people?
-    Do your managers communicate effectively with each of their direct reports? Do they have the tools and skills to engage employees in a meaningful way?
-    How are you equipping people to be better leaders and managers?
IF you cannot adequately answer these questions, get your leaders leadership training and/or coaches to work with them. Or get ready to continue watching your key employees march out the door.