You have probably heard the saying, “people don’t quit a job, they quit a boss.”  SHRM partnered with Harvard Business Review to do a survey at Facebook to find out if that statement is accurate.    The results of the survey indicate when people wanted to keep people from leaving, the people left anyway, it was not because of their manager.

While it’s true that people are more likely to quit when they have horrible bosses, not all people leave because of their boss.  The survey showed most people left employment because of the work.  They left when their job wasn’t enjoyable, they weren’t growing in their careers and their strengths weren’t being used.

So, while the direct answer was the people did not quit a manager, they quit a job; the manager is responsible for creating an enjoyable workplace.

If you want to keep your people, especially your stars, pay more attention to how their work is designed.  Create the job around the person’s strengths and talents.   Enable people to do work they enjoy, play to the person’s strengths and carve a path for career development which accommodates personal priorities.

Talk with your team members; it is the best way to learn their strengths, talents, and goals.

www.shrm.org  “The Real Reason People Quit Their Jobs” January 23, 2018, Lori Goler, Janelle Gale, Brnn Harrington and Adam Grant

Not too long ago, I read a book called Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant. The book uses several thought-provoking stories to propose that there are three types of people in the workplace: givers, matchers, and takers.

Takers are people who consistently put their needs before others by taking more than they give to others, and are generally the most self-oriented.

Matchers are those who tend to give and take proportionally. They tend to reciprocate equally with others based on how they are treated.

Givers are the people that give more than they take, and are primarily others-oriented.

Although it may seem counter-intuitive, the book cites research suggesting that many successful people are givers and that being a giver is usually a sound strategy for success. Most people appreciate a person that is a giver, and many times they will want to give back to that person if the opportunity arises. Because of this, givers often create a network of support and valuable connections with others that they have helped in the past.

One key difference between givers and takers is that givers do not think of personal and work relationships as zero-sum games, but instead as positive sum games where groups can all benefit. Givers are not afraid to share the credit of successes, and are willing to help out coworkers and others in the organization even when they may not gain personally from their effort.

Givers also are adept at seeing issues from different perspectives, which helps them to be perceived as agreeable and understanding in group situations. By contributing help wherever they can (instead of only when it would benefit them and their specific responsibilities), they can establish a norm of giving and information sharing within their team.

Early on in a new year can be a great time to evaluate how you operate at work and reflect on any changes you would want to make. Consider looking for opportunities to act as a giver in the workplace. It will likely benefit your team, and may very well lead to future success for yourself.

Written by Nick Lewis

If you notice that employees are putting in minimal effort, it’s often due to the fact the leaders are doing the same.  Leaders who are transformational have to enable employees to flourish.

Be crystal clear about what your purpose is, it will shape everything else you do.  Be sure to have time to think strategically, this will allow you to operate tactically.

Use your coach or mentor to help you think positively.  Be aware of the gap between your intent and impact on employees.  Ask yourself, how is my leadership helping or hindering the performance of the department?

Tell your customers and employees exactly what they can expect from you.  This will remove any ambiguity and uncertainty.  It will also allow people to say “yes” to your requests faster and easier.

Stop making priorities until you have identified what your purpose is.

You achieve transformational results when you surround yourself with people who are tenacious and don’t give up easily.

Look for advice rather than feedback.  Asking for advice from someone gives that person a heightened sense of engagement.

www.shrm.org “How to Be a Transformational Leader” January 17, 2018, Dori Meinert