Lackluster leaders don’t care about their employees.
This is particularly evident when an employee submits their voluntary resignation.
Why Employees Leave
There are many reasons why employees leave voluntarily.
However, 75% leave because of a poor manager- a lackluster leader.
The lackluster leader may have micromanaged and refused to delegate responsibilities or decision making authority.
Or this leader may have been primarily absent and unavailable, leaving employees to fend for themselves, ignoring employees’ needs for:
- support,
- recognition,
- authorization to use their strengths,
- a positive and welcoming work environment,
- opportunities for professional growth, or
- a healthy work/life balance.
The Lackluster Leader
The lackluster leader offers no recognition, no appreciation, or not even a simple thanks for a job well done or for going beyond what is required.
It is obvious that it doesn’t matter how long the employee has worked there or what the employee has accomplished for the organization.
The lackluster leader simply accepts the resignation without comment.
As a result, this reinforces the employee’s understanding that they are not valued or important to the leader or the organization.
If the employee indicates the reasons for their resignation in their letter, the lackluster leader chalks it up to a bad employee attitude and learns nothing from it.
The employee leaves frustrated and unhappy. And nothing changes.
The Legendary Leader
A legendary leader immediately asks to meet with the employee to discover why the employee is choosing to leave.
They value the employee and want to learn if there is anything that they can do so the employee will want to stay.
They know what the employee has accomplished and what the employee can continue to contribute to the organization.
They are:
- curious about the reasons for the resignation,
- open to acknowledge if any of their behaviors have caused the employee to choose to leave, and
- sincerely willing to make any and all reasonable adjustments to remedy the situation.
Even if the employee still chooses to leave after the conversation, the leader now knows what they need to do so other employees don’t experience the same situation.
The Difference Between a Fixed Mindset And a Growth Mindset
The lackluster leader has a fixed mindset.
They insulate themselves from having any accountability for employee resignations.
The legendary leader has a growth mindset.
They are always willing to learn and make changes to improve their leadership and their relationship with their employees.
It doesn’t matter if an organization is experiencing one or many resignations.
The legendary leader takes each resignation seriously and does their best to improve their own behavior and the workplace culture, so employees want to stay and do their best.
The lackluster leader just doesn’t care.
If your organization is experiencing unexpected turnover, let’s stop the bleeding.
Schedule time for a free 30-minute strategy session.
