LinkedIn recently reported on a survey that shed some eye-opening light on employee retention.
According to their report, 75 percent of employees who voluntarily left a position did so because of their managers, and not because of the job itself. The survey revealed that employees place more value on a healthy work environment than they do on an ideal position.
So if you’re looking to build a strong team — one that can meet and exceed goals, or launch a company from the ground up — how should you do it? Your first step, according to this Forbes article, is to fire poor managers. Removing leaders who are performing poorly or who are creating a toxic work environment is the key to creating a happy team. And a happy team is a motivated team.
Still, the problem remains: how do you identify poor managers? Sometimes bosses let things go too far for too long by allowing bad managers to stay in their roles without changing how they’re operating in it. This can cost the firm valuable employees who leave under poor management. But there are some early warning signs that indicate that you might have a lousy manager (or at least a manager in need of training and mentorship). These traits include a lack of empowerment, a tendency to micromanage employees, and a proclivity to set undefined or unrealistic goals.
The first piece of advice to help employees improve their management style is to address the issue with them and to provide some training and mentorship. However, if there’s no change in the manager’s demeanor or leadership, then termination should be considered. Firing poor managers has proven to result in increased morale, engagement levels, teamwork, and commitment. A happy, motivated department is much more likely to attract new rockstar employees than a stressed, resentful, and disenchanted one.
Interested in working with a great team? Search our job board or speak to one of our Executive Recruiters to explore opportunities.
