People Don’t Leave Bad Jobs, They Leave Bad Managers
This is a phrase I have heard frequently, and Natalie at Employee Evolution gives 10 tips for improving communication and avoiding the “bad manager” label.
I would say one of the biggest takeaways from her posting is to be accessible. This means letting your team know how to reach you and more importantly, letting them know they CAN contact you. One of the most frequent complaints I have heard about managers is the lack of availability. Easy to fix!
Encouraging communication by both giving information and being perceived as open to receiving it will go a long way in building your employee’s confidence in you as their leader, and in return, their confidence in themselves to do the job. Talk to them about their projects and how those projects relate to the company’s goals and success. Take the time to notice those who are encountering difficulties and work with them to find solutions. Publicly congratulate good work. It benefits not only your team, but you and the company too.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Yes!
When I left one of the former Baby Bell companies after 15 years, the primary reason for that was a new supervisor who was autocratic, unbending, and ignorant — a vile and deadly combination. Within a year of my leaving so many others followed that the entire department collapsed and its function was moved to another entity of the company.
-MR