Leadership gone wrong: How you are driving your employees away

We can’t seem to hire the right people. Could it be us?

Yes. It could be. Take a step back and go over the reasons why your previous employees left. And if you didn’t ask, you’re missing out on essential feedback.

Employees don’t leave companies, they leave managers. When a small business, like yours, loses a key employee the void can be quite significant to fulfill. There’s an art to employee retention, and it’s critical small business owners realize this early on.

It comes down to culture and it starts at the top. If your company has high turnover, it’s safe to say that your leadership needs to be examined. Leadership is a skill. In its essence, it’s knowing how to show others respect and kindness. It’s listening more than talking. It’s gentle guidance over micromanagement. It’s demonstrating trust in others. It’s saying ‘we’ over ‘I’.

Greed, on the other hand, is the antithesis of teamwork. Once greed takes root, it can destroy relationships, tearing apart the team. The thing with having a greedy individual running a company means the power dynamic is out of balance. And that’s not a good way of doing business.

Employees are the most important asset at a company. True leaders realize this, so they, in turn, treat their employees with respect. Simple acts of respect are free. But displaying disrespect creates a toxic work environment that will hurt the bottom line, costing tons of loss not only in morale but in profit.

It’s up to if you want to be a leader. Before you do, have an honest conversation with your colleagues and take their feedback seriously for the betterment of your small business and employees’ happiness. Happy employees translates to happier clients. Now that’s a win-win.