Guess what, leaders? Your talent doesn’t want to be managed any more than you do.
They want you to put your leadership pants and skirts on and create a work environment where they’re motivated and challenged to do exceptional work.
In short, lead them!
A couple of times in my military career, I was fortunate to be able to selectively recruit people for my group. I didn’t go after the fair-haired wonders out there; I looked for the under-utilized and under-appreciated talent from other groups that I thought could fit into our can-do culture. They wanted to stay with us because they were trusted with challenging (and sometimes dangerously exciting) jobs, flexibility in their working conditions, plenty of recognition and appreciation, and opportunities to grow and develop.
You already know this, but I’m going to remind you: Your employees chose your company over another because they wanted to be part of what you’re doing. Your talent is leaving because they don’t like their boss – either the boss’ behavior or the culture that’s developed as a result of that behavior.
And I’m not stereotyping by gender or generation, although it appears that the younger talent is even more unwilling than a middle-age guy trying to juggle a mortgage, car payments, and college tuition to stay in an environment that reeks of “old school” management that keeps a tight rein on every aspect of the business.
You can say, “This generation is different,” but I don’t believe it. Changing jobs to find a good fit is certainly not new, and what else do you expect when we raise our kids to believe they can be anything they want to be, and they should wear as many shoes as they need to until they find a pair that fits?
I’m talking specifically about your talented employees at any level of the organization. The ones who can’t stand to be treated the same as your employees who know – and deliver – the minimum required to keep their jobs. The ones who give the extra effort because of who they are, and will give you even more if you motivate them to. The ones who believe that work is something you do, not somewhere you go.
So what does your talent want? What motivates and inspires them? It’s not about the money, and you’ll never keep the ones who really believe it is.
Here’s an idea: ask them!
I did just that with a client’s high performers recently, and the answers were anything but surprising (to me, anyway). Every single suggestion they had for improving their company was a leadership issue – things like more development opportunities, more communication, less favoritism, more follow through and respect – the free stuff that you leaders ought to be doing anyway.
Let’s take development, for example. If your company’s primary leadership development effort focuses on the C-suites, and if your senior leaders aren’t actively involved in the ongoing development of your current and future leadership, you’re doing it wrong. Leadership development is a contact sport that requires real, heartfelt interaction that provides opportunities to demonstrate more than an understanding.
I loved a recent HBR article that described a senior management-directed leadership development system that required all managers to log a specific number of weekly developmental goals – not just for their direct reports, but for themselves as well – in addition to tracking conversations about the multiplying objectives, all “simplified” by a two-hundred-plus page manual that outlined new terms and processes. You could have predicted its failure.
You want to keep your talent? First, get rid of your dead wood. Our experience is that as involuntary attrition goes up, voluntary retention goes down. Not theoretically – in actual practice, because your talent hates that you tolerate (aka endorse) underperformance.
Next, here’s what that same client’s high performers said (really, I didn’t make this up):
Lead like this: “be approachable, act like you care, follow up, encourage, trust, motivate, give recognition, be open to feedback, communicate more, be willing to help, listen, be humble, build teamwork and rapport.”
While loyalty to a particular company looks like a thing of the past, loyalty to a particular leader is not. Your talent won’t leave leadership like that.
On the other hand, don’t lead like this: “show favoritism, be selfish, lack trust, lack integrity, be unfair, be unengaged, be closed minded, be a micromanager, lack professionalism.” You’ll be stuck with the dregs. Count on it.
I’ll dare say this isn’t new information for any of you, but if you’re having a problem keeping talent these days, your organization’s leaders aren’t doing what you’re paying them to do. Or maybe you’re not.
It’s up to you, leaders.
