Here is reason #3 why people quit:

People want to work for people they respect and admire. And they quit when they see their leaders as having poor character.

An organization I know is currently experiencing a TON of turnover. When I interviewed employees about why they had left, poor leadership was the overwhelming reason.

People told me about leaders who don’t show up for work, who don’t keep their word, who throw people under the bus, who don’t know how to run meetings or hold people accountable, who aren’t honest…on and on.

The average length of tenure for this office is about 9 months!

The people in this organization and others have a very poor perception of leadership. So, they leave to find a place where the leaders work harder to treat people well and honestly…to actually be better people.

Employees want to contribute their talents, energy, and their career to make the world and their communities a better place.

No one wants to spend time working for people they don’t respect or trust.

So, here’s the hard part: none of us believes that we are that kind of a leader. I have yet to work with one single leader who does not believe they are doing right by their people.

If you have people quitting on a regular basis, it is possible that you are not communicating your best self to your team.

Here’s what to do:

1. Regularly ask your team members for feedback. Ask what you do that works well for them, and what you could do differently to create a better working environment. Recognize that they may or may not feel comfortable telling their boss the truth, so…
2. Examine your own behavior on a regular basis. Are you as honest, ethical, consistent, caring, and fair as you can possibly be? Do you truly bring your best self to work? Is it possible you ‘lose it’ more often than you think you do?
3. Hold all leaders within the organization to high standards, and provide them with coaching to optimize their leadership and management abilities.
4. Provide employees with the opportunity to respond to a confidential survey, conducted by an outside consultant, that asks about the culture, and the leadership of the organization; or
5. Have an outside consultant conduct a 360 review of leaders and provide feedback.

Taking a good look at the leadership style and culture of your organization is hard, but it can not only make a huge difference in morale within your organization, it can also bolster your bottom line.  By stopping the revolving door of employees, you can save money and increase productivity.