The Paradigm Shift
The Great Resignation is upon us. In 1989, Stephen Covey published The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The book helped millions of people improve personal and professional relationships to the tune of more than 25 million copies sold in 40 different languages.
I’ve read the book; I’ve taken the course and one habit that made a huge impact on my life is Habit #5: Seek First to Understand. It’s more important now than ever because these days, people are leaving their jobs at an unheard-of pace. In his article “The Great Resignation is Here, and it’s Real”, Phillip Kane shares this from the Department of Labor: “According to the U.S. Department of Labor, during the months of April, May, and June 2021, a total of 11.5 million workers quit their jobs.
Money is not Always the Motivation to Stay
Think about it. 11.5 million people! That’s roughly the population of Cuba! People quit their jobs for many reasons, but your job is to make sure that you aren’t one of them. It’s a fact – People join organizations, but they leave managers. This is especially true now because Covid has allowed people to revise their definition of job equity. Money and perks are important, but they’re no longer the primary reason for staying in a job. This is a good thing because burnout is real. I tell my clients it’s important that we work to live – not live to work. It’s my professional way of saying that life is too short to drink bad beer.
Help Them Stay
So, how are you making sure your people work to live and not the other way around? Here are some tips that may help:
- CARE – This is where habit #5 comes in. If you don’t understand what your people need, you can’t convince them that you care about them. Adopting a servant leader attitude will let them know that they are your priority.
- TRUST – Face it, telecommuting is no longer a perk for your superstars. It is a viable way of doing business and it’s here to stay. If you don’t trust people to do the work, remember habit #5 and find out why. If there’s a performance issue, don’t set policies for everyone; manage the performance. If you find that you believe people won’t work unless you’re watching, it’s time to manage your beliefs. Read my blog for ways to up your trust game.
- KNOW YOURSELF – My first rule for good managers. Work to understand why and how you make decisions. This will help you practice habit #5
- KNOW YOUR PEOPLE – My second rule for good managers. Yep, habit #5 again.
In a nutshell, successful managing is about building relationships. Create strong, caring relationships and your people may not be part of the Great Resignation.
Related Posts:
Do You Trust Your Employees to Fail?
Soft Skills: Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence
References:
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Aug. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People.
Kane, Phillip. “The Great Resignation Is Here, and It’s Real.” Inc., 26 Aug. 2021, www.inc.com/phillip-kane/the-great-resignation-is-here-its-real.html.