The top reason employees leave organizations is due to poor relationships with their direct supervisor. This fact has been documented in articles so often that it’s becoming a cliché: people don’t leave organizations they leave managers.
The average organization is losing up to 7% of its annual sales due to poor leadership. That’s over $1 million per year for an organization with $15 million or more in annual sales. And yet many organizations still fail to provide comprehensive management/leadership training, particularity to newly promoted or first time managers.
This lack of training may help explain why 40 percent of new management hires fail within their first 18 months.
Another blog recently published on Forbes.com offered managers insight on other reasons employees may not be satisfied with their performance.
Here are the highlights from the article and comments section:
TIP #1: You’re not very nice
You climbed up the ladder, and now you’re at the top. OK, not the very top, but suffice to say you wear a suit when you go to work. You’re smart, you’re well-read, and the suit is bespoke.
Here’s the issue: You’re better known for saying inappropriate things around the office than you are delivering outstanding results. You never listen, conversations with you are like driving down a one-way road named after you, and your door is never open, literally or metaphorically.
According to you, the fact that you’re this way doesn’t matter. After all, you’re not exactly screwing up professionally. But even though your employees professionally respect you, they personally dislike you, and, as a consequence, their performance is sub-par.
TIP #2: You have no idea what you’re doing
Sure, you held this position before, but at another company and in entirely another field. When it comes to this category, you have no idea what you’re doing. Fortunately for you, you talk a good game, and the job was long overdue to be filled. You scored the gig, you negotiated a great salary, and now it’s up to you to deliver what you promised.
So what’s the problem? You’ve got no experience doing this particular thing in this particular way, and instead of humbling yourself and asking for help, you’re going to attempt to fudge your way through it. The problem is both you and everyone who works for you are keenly aware your ignorance is causing performance to drop.
TIP #3: You’re a space-case
Didn’t we ask you for that information a month ago? Weren’t we supposed to have that meeting this week? Why are you always late? You’re supposed to be their fearless leader, but instead you’d rather not stand for anything. Occupy Wall Street? You’d prefer close the door and occupy your office. You say one thing, then another, and every directive is overturned down the line by you.
Maybe if you’d stop talking on the phone and start executing a strategy, your employees could learn something. Maybe if you stopped waffling and started taking charge, revenue would increase.
TIP #4: You won’t let me do my job
The company that perceptively recognized what value you could bring to the table evaluated me exactly the same way and made the same decision. You have a stable of bright and creative people. Stop looking over our shoulders, dictating every little thing we do, and micromanaging us out of our minds. Don’t tell me what to do; tell me what you want done and I’ll figure out the best way to do it.
TIP #5: You don’t provide me with the tools and support I need
You hired me at a premium salary for a certain expertise in order to bring a “new and necessary” (your words) capability to your company, yet won’t buy the tools required to develop that capability and instead have me doing things a trained monkey could do.
Yes, I know it pays the same, but I’m bored out of my mind.
TIP #6: You don’t maintain professional boundaries
You can’t be best friends or lovers with certain subordinates. You must keep a relational distance with those who work with you, or at least keep the same distance between yourself and all of them. You should treat all subordinates equally and fairly.
While this may be more challenging for newly promoted managers who are now faced with the challenge of transitioning from colleague to manager, it is essential in earning the respect from employees.
Are you a new or recently promoted manager looking for support and training? Or are you simply looking to access tools to help you be a better manager?
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Do you agree or disagree with these reasons? Do you have any to add? I would love to hear from you!