5 Keys To Avoiding People Quitting You

My parents determined that it was time for me to work on my work-ethic. I didn't have much skill and I didn't know what I was interested in, so at 15 years old I went with the only thing I knew. Cutting grass. I heard about a crew that was hiring so I applied and was hired on the spot. Talk about excited! I left that office ready to make my mark on the world and get some much-needed cash in my pocket. Over time, I've come to learn that everyone enters a new job with major enthusiasm, sky-high ambition, and a hope that they'll move closer to achieving their dreams.
Those first few weeks, I was on cloud nine! I was making a contribution to the team, I liked the guys I was working with, and I was out in the world making a difference for the people we served! Then, things began to change. I started noticing my supervisor was super demanding. He was intolerant of little mistakes, harsh in correcting others, failed to listen to new ideas, and modeled a genuine disregard for anyone who held a position lower than his. To say he devalued others would be an understatement!
I made it through that summer, but the next summer when I was called to see about working again, I politely declined. You see, I learned a valuable lesson the year before. It wasn't that the company was bad. My leader was a bad leader and I quit him. I quit him because of his inability to value others. You see, people quit people, not jobs. It wasn't that I didn't want to cut grass that next summer (I still spent that summer cutting grass, just not with him). I didn't want to be cutting grass with him. I want to see you avoid the same mistake he made.
5 Keys To Avoiding People Quitting You

1. Value people: this comes out in what you say and how you say it
2. Be trust worthy: this involves doing what you say you will when you said you would
3. Be competent: this relates to continually growing and learning yourself
4. Be secure: this means living out of a strength that resided deep inside you

Be courageous and ask the five people closest to you how you're doing in each of these areas. Then, identify one way you can act on each problem to better deliver value to those you lead. The pay-off is you'll have more people coming into your organization and fewer quitting you.