Marcel Schwantes, Principal and Founder of Leadership from the Core, offered this great insight into why people quit their jobs:
We’ve all heard this “tune” play like a broken record: People leave managers, not companies.
Gallup CEO Jim Clifton, however, takes the cake. He summarized in a succinct sentence the bottom line of why your company’s employee turnover may be high. He said:
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.
Marcel highlighted how we spend so much time on things that really don’t matter, but we spend so little time on ensuring that the right management is in place and that they’re supported appropriately. He goes on to offer these four traits of great managers:
- They are radically honest
- They are supportive
- They recognize the talents and strengths of their tribe
- They display empathy
If you’re a manager or an aspiring manager, this is some great advice. The one that I think that sometimes gets mixed up by managers is being “radically honest.” There’s a fine line between being radically honest and being rude and mean. Employees love honesty when it’s done out of love. However, many times the honesty from a manager is done for other reasons and that becomes problematic.
What are the key traits you’ve experienced from the managers you enjoy the most? Let us know in the comments.
I think that is a pretty good list, but I think there is actually at least one good reason why people leave their jobs, because they are advancing.
A great manager fosters their people and should be training them to replace the manager. We do employees no favors when we limit their advancement. The only way to truly succeed is by raising everyone else around you.
The last job I had before the Air Force I left because the manager just wanted to hoard his good employees so they wouldn’t leave. He ended up losing half his staff when I left because we all wanted something better.