I’ve worked with coaching clients in the past who told me, “I don’t want to offer my employee that training… what if they excel at it and then they take that knowledge and leave me for a new employer?” I urge entrepreneurs to not be so short-sighted as to stifle the growth of an employee and his or her skills because you fear they may “abandon you” if they gain knowledge. Believe me, if they were going to leave, they will leave regardless of the additional training or not because chances are, they had one foot out the door.
Don’t stifle a great employees’ desire for self improvement — you will be the ultimate beneficiary of their success, after all. Here are some of the reasons you may lose a superstar:
- You don’t offer feedback. They don’t know if they are performing at, or under, par. Offer constructive criticism. Schedule time to sit down and discuss performance and where they’re hitting, or missing, the mark. Don’t let them work in the dark.
- Don’t overwork your staff. Yes, many companies are doing more with less, but that can lead to employee burnout and to your best employees seeking employment where they have a personal life. Schedule time off. Don’t make them feel as though they have to be on-call 24/7 — unless the nature of your business demands it and they should be made aware of this up front.
- Don’t overpromise. If you bring an employee on board with promises of “sky’s the limit” promises and you find you can’t follow through, expect them to leave. Only make commitments to your employees that you can keep.
- Share the big picture. Even if an employee doesn’t have to focus on the big picture because his or her job doesn’t require being “in the know” it helps bond the team and keep everyone’s focus if they know what the ultimate goal is.
- You don’t offer room for creativity. Every job has the potential for individual creativity. If you have an employee that thinks outside of the box, let them explain to you how their creative idea will impact the company and its mission and if it seems it might fit, let them run with it.
What reasons do your employees give when they tender their resignation? Could you have addressed it, had you known? Do you need to revamp policies to help keep your superstar employees?