I recently had lunch with a friend who told me she was quitting her job to take a position with another company. She has worked for her current employer for over ten years and is in a very significant role. Her employer will undoubtedly be shocked by her resignation.
Do you know why your team members leave for another job? Here are 5 possibilities: Click To TweetHere are five reasons why she is leaving and why you may have someone on your team right now interviewing for another job:
- No communication from her leader.
No regular updates, no consistent messages, and no compelling leadership voice. This leader only addresses the team when there is a problem and then it’s with a tone of fear and blame.
- No personal touch from her leader.
Never walking around, never asking about work, family, or how they can help. When employees feel they don’t matter to the leader, they will start looking for another team to join.
- No recognition of work.
There is never a thank you or an acknowledgement of hard work being done. There is no recognition or vision given about how individual contributions impact the organization’s overall success.
- Promises made but never kept.
For over a decade this leader made promises: “One day you will get a promotion, one day we will change your title, one day we will increase your compensation.” This leader made promises but never took action, and time simply ran out.
- No compelling mission or vision.
This leader never speaks to the “why” behind the work. There is no future view of where the organization is going and why the work today will make an impact. Just short term work with a view on short term results. Because the leader didn’t believe the work had significance, the employee doing the work began to feel insignificant, and the new job search was on.
If you are this kind of leader, it’s not too late to turn things around. Call your team together immediately and let them know you haven’t been leading well and you want to change. Ask for their help and start putting into place today consistent actions to make your employees glad they are a part of your team. If not, don’t be surprised when your best team members resign because they are looking for another job.
“A leader who lacks understanding is very oppressive. . . ” Proverbs 28:16a
What other reasons do employees resign or look for another job?
Blessings,
Well said, Selma. I’ve had lots of conversations with such folks over the years.