I recently read a great article by Dr Travis Bradberry, author of the book Emotional Intelligence, where he identified the 9 things that make good employees quit. I thought it was well worth sharing as it is critical that you keep your best staff as they will drive sales, provide excellent service and keep those valuable customers of yours coming back.
- Overworking great staff – we have the tendency to reward our best performers with …… more work! Talented employees will take on a bigger workload, but they won’t stay if their job suffocates them in the process.
- Not recognising contributions and rewarding good work – my biggest issue with most owners is they don’t provide enough positive feedback – great performers need it.
- Not caring about their employees – More than half of people who leave their jobs do so because of their relationship with their boss. Smart companies make certain their managers know how to balance being professional with being human.
- Commitments aren’t honoured – an easy way to lose the trust of your staff. When you do uphold a commitment you grow in the eyes of your staff because you prove yourself to be trustworthy and honourable.
- Hiring and promoting the wrong people – not hiring the right staff to complement top performers kills great staff and teamwork. As does promoting someone who doesn’t perform. Top performers who are passed over will leave.
- Not letting people pursue their passions – talented employees are passionate. Expecting them to operate in a restrictive way cramps their style. Studies show that people who are able to pursue their passions at work experience flow, a euphoric state of mind that is five times more productive than the norm.
- Failing to develop people’s skills – most great employees want to improve, they actively seek feedback, whereas non-performers avoid it. It’s the owner’s job to train and challenge their team on an ongoing basis.
- Failing to engage an employee’s creativity – The most talented employees seek to improve everything they touch. If you take away their ability to change and improve things because you’re only comfortable with the status quo, this makes them hate their jobs. Caging up this innate desire to create not only limits them, it limits you.
- Failing to challenge people intellectually – Great bosses challenge their employees to accomplish things that seem inconceivable at first. Instead of setting mundane, incremental goals, they set lofty goals that push people out of their comfort zones. Then, good managers do everything in their power to help them succeed. When talented and intelligent people find themselves doing things that are too easy or boring, they seek other jobs that will challenge their intellects.
If you are an Owner or Manager, how did you go against these 9 points? I think we can always improve our leadership skills and I hope this article has helped.
Keeping your great staff is critical, the last thing you want is them heading off to your competitor.
Roger Simpson – CEO, The Retail Solution and Author of “The Retail Solution” With over 35 years’ industry experience, Roger Simpson is recognized as Australia’s #1 Authority on customer ROI in the retail industry and as a global expert on staff coaching, customer service and selling skills.
