Manager Turnover – Nine Lessons I learned from employees who left my team

With the increased turnover last year I felt compelled to review my hiring, engagement, and termination practices.  I like to think I am an easy to approach leader with a very good relationship with all of my managers.  As I went down the list here is what I learned:

1. Not all turnover is bad!

Some people don’t belong in the culture of the company they work for.  Some managers are a major liability and a lawsuit waiting to happen.  Managers who steal, falsify, lie, harass, and break the law don’t come with name tags that read, “Not hirable.”  The best action is to end the relations quickly.

2. People need to ask for a promotion.

I love developing people and discovering new talent.  Unfortunately, I have discovered new talents before they discovered this talent in themselves. When they don’t ask for advancement it means they are not ready, and we are promoting these people before they are ready.

3. You cannot motivate people into performance long-term.

We all want to hire people who are self-motivated, and have drive and initiative.  We can rally the troops to reach a few goals for a day, a week, a month, and even a quarter.  However, at one point, the manager must find the seed of inspiration and the desire to be successful on their own.  These managers who tend to perform only when there is a fire under their seat cost time and efforts to organizations, and they stay longer than they usually need to, and eventually lose the battle against consistent performance because there is so much fire to go around.

4. There is such a thing  as giving people too many opportunities.

There is a deep belief behind people’s actions.  People make mistakes and can learn from them.  When we ignore the core belief behind poor judgment actions, we are being negligent.  It only takes one manager 30 minutes to contaminate a good culture.  When a manager walks into the office with a bad mood and sets everyone off the de-bend, he or she loses his or her power of influence.  Attitude is an offense worthy of firing.  The lack of actions from leaders on managers with poor attitude contributes to further contaminate the entire team.

5. Trust is everything. You can’t influence people who you don’t trust or who don’t trust you.

That’s a fact.  Any decision, guidance or coaching done without trust is wasted.  Trust is built from open and honest conversations done at the right time and place, early in the relationship.  It is very hard to regain trust once it is lost. It’s a two-way street.  When you don’t trust a manager, you can be sure he or she doesn’t trust you either.

6. People can’t improve performance if they can’t see their own opportunities.

This is human behavior.  People can’t change what they believe doesn’t need changing.  The level of how they perceive their shortcomings will be directly related to the improvement they will produce.  And this is only the beginning as there is a curving time for people to change their habits.  Sometimes, people need more time or someone else to offer similar feedback to one who recognizes the need to change.

7. More money is temporary.

When employees resign because they have job
offers for more money, giving them raises only extends their departure about six months on average.  On a subconscious – or conscious level – they will always wonder about the lack of recognition.  Cut your losses short unless you need time to hire a replacement.

8. Over communicate.

People’s attention span is as long and as deep as their current needs or desires.  Wants and desires change constantly. You can tell new hires what are the good, bad and the ugly, but they won’t hear it, because they just want a job.  You can talk about goals, opportunities, expectations, promotions, or any subject that unless people’s needs or desires match what you communicate, they won’t hear.  It is like when you first buy a Toyota Prius, you start noticing how many other people drive the same car.

9. Over qualified people are short-term hires.

In the same way you don’t hire under qualified people, you need to pass on the over qualified ones.  It is human nature to grow and you cannot offer growth for someone who has been there and done that.  We grow from inspiration or from the pain of being “above our heads.” Unless you have side projects to inspire these people who will take your job because you were the first one to offer, save your money.

People need to be happy at work.  Especially when they spend the majority of their time away from the people they love.   As leaders, we need to help people find their happiness at work by hiring right, by developing always or by terming quickly.

So, what are your lessons from your manager turnover?