The 4 reasons your employees and looking for a new job

So you’ve recently had a few employees give you their two-week notice, and you have to admit, you were blindsided. You thought these team members were engaged, receiving on-the-job fulfillment, and honestly, loving coming into the office every day. Where did you miss?

They tell you it’s because they were offered higher compensation or found something closer to their career goals, but is that really why they looked elsewhere? Studies show that the four primary reasons for people quitting their jobs are:

• I don’t like my boss
• I feel no empowerment
• I don’t like the internal politics going on
• My manager/boss doesn’t recognize my accomplishments

"What do these four things have in common? They can all be tied back to poor leadership, specifically the leader's emotional intelligence -- how in touch a leader is with their professional emotions and those of the people they lead." -- David Hults

That’s a strong statement.

When an employee quits, you have choices. As a leader, can do the easiest thing and dismiss the employee as ‘not a good fit’, fill their spot with a new warm body, and move on. Or (and this is the more challenging route to take), you can stop and reflect upon your leadership style to see if it is having a negative effect on your team members. Are you an inspirational leader, one who motivates others to reach their fullest potential? Does your leadership style guide and mobilize individuals to feel a sense of belonging within your company, inspiring them to jump on board with the vision and pursue their roles with excitement and passion? Or is the way you are leading others causing them to feel disengaged, undervalued, and dismissed?
Inspirational leadership is a quality that can be developed, with the help of self-assessment, a coach, and a willingness to modify the way you’re currently doing things. If you sense your leadership could be one of the reasons your team members are “moving on”,  here are some solid goals to begin working toward:

• Articulate your company’s vision in a way that compels your team members to want to be a part of it.  Share with them your passions about the ‘why’ of company direction.

• Be open to creative ideas and fresh perspectives. Maybe it doesn’t actually have to be your way or the highway.

• Be authentic.  Your employees can see right through any attempts of putting on a facade or being someone you are not.

• Openly discuss high-level issues with your team members and seek their input.

• Attempt to match each individual’s talents, skills, and aspirations with the tasks/opportunities at hand to avoid micro managing. To do this, you will have to get to know your team members, and learn what really motivates them. You may be surprised that what motivates you may not motivate them!

• Don’t forget to share the credit for successes with ALL of your team members — not just those you feel are most important. Remember everyone on your team plays a role in your team’s accomplishments.

• Act with integrity at all times or your employees will not respect your leadership.

Want to dive more deeply into this one? Read David Hults’ interesting article here:  Your leadership style reveals your emotional intelligence