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Perfect Article! I have resign from my position in the past due to this reason and i think there are many technically sound professional who do this from time to time...
Hey Moosa, thanks for sharing my article. Glad you liked it!
Interesting data at the end. Good stuff.
This is why having a leader as a boss is so important and on the flip side.... hiring the right leaders. I've seen a few starts ups that are looking for talent in the wrong areas and have had retnetion issues because of it.
PERFECT words Stuart! I guess startups should have to invest on hiring the right leaders... i mean idea generator or money investor should not be the criteria when choosing CEOs but unfortunately this is what i have seen in most part of the world!
I love this article, it sheds enlightenment on an issue that we've all seemingly encountered, but never really thought about or discussed openly. I wonder if any companies out there are doing a good enough job at exit interviews and manager analysis to understand where their lackluster retention rates are coming from. Does anybody have an example of one?
Thanks for reading David! Yeh you're right, exit interviews are really important. It's amazing what you can learn from conducting well thought out exit interviews. Managers need to leave their egos at the door for this.
Ours are done by HR, so there's no ego or conflict. Although I never think leaving egos at the door is a bad thing. Manager or not. :)
Exactly, and therein lies the problem - most employees will be too scared to tell the truth (in case it jeopardises their chance of getting a good reference for their new job) and so they won't be as harsh or direct in their criticism as they should be/need to be.
This is unfortunately too true... I knew a colleague who quit her company and gave a harsh, yet truthful exit interview with HR. She actually asked to return to the company 6-8 months later and was denied based on her exit interview (which was not kept confidential from her previous manager, CEO, and I'm assuming more as well).
I've been in a similar situation and, in one of the weird ways where you feel bad for saying it, everyone should experience something like it. The perspective you gain from knowing how NOT to act is worth the pain and suffering in the long run.
This is one of those conversations that brings back the idea that your company is more than 4 walls and a roof (and lots of 0's and 1's :P). The companies that people want to work for (Moz, SEER come to mind) are the ones that have a certain level of humanity and depth to them. They have a story that's unique and honest and people who are living a similar story will identify with that. A company full of managers who live a crappy story just can't sustain interest from top employees and a company who doesn't have managers that enable their employees is one that will churn, indefinitely.
A little theoretical tonight but the idea stands: Want good employees? Enable them to achieve. That's sustainability.
True dat Brian! It's one of the only ways to gain a sustained competitive advantage.
Nice article, upvoted.
The funny (or sad?) thing is, golden rule when interviewed is never say you want to change because you can't work with your boss, you'd be seen as a troublemaker.
Always say something along the lines "Company XXX has been a great thing for me, but I'm ready for new challenges".
Thanks for the upvote! haha yeh that is very true. I'd love to see data on interview answers versus 3rd party survey with same questions and see the difference.
I've been thinking on this topic for a day now, and I must admit you hit several nails on the head with this post, Alaister. The reason I left my last job was because I didn't feel forward momentum coming from the management and ownership of my company. I didn't feel "safe" so to speak. Not that I was fearing the loss of my job, quite the opposite in fact. The more they sat around without progressing, the more I was going to have to make up for it on the back end when trying to provide growth and innovation for my clients.
I realize this topic of "leaders" and "employees" has been around for quite some time, but I'm very pleased with what you brought to the table with this post. A great addition to an ever evolving topic thread!
Thanks very much Robbie. Yeh it's interesting to hear people's experiences around this. Some people have said this is not entirely true in the sense that they have left companies because they wanted more of a challenge. The question to ask in this case is - Could the managers have created a more challenging work environment or assign more stimulating tasks?