Losing good staff is a serious bummer and feels like a leadership set-back. It’s disruptive and costly. Our Boundless Team falters as we scramble to fill the void left behind. As a leader, it’s hard not to feel hurt and betrayed by someone we value deciding to leave. The default is to simmer with resentment and blame them for lack of loyalty.
Loyal team development starts with you
If we don’t ask, “Could I have done anything differently?” we miss an opportunity to improve. The first area to look at improving is an underrated one: recognition. It’s a simple thing to implement, with astounding results.
Consider this insight from O.C Tanner*:
Change this one thing about your leadership
Recognition is the highest rated incentive for doing good work. Notice also the relatively smaller percentage of people who wanted more pay: 7%. And yet we sometimes throw money at departing staff in an effort to keep them.
What does this tell us? We need to invest more time, money, and energy in to recognition.
But what kind?
A personal thank you
Public acclaim
Company awards
Small gifts
Lunch out
What works for some won’t work for others.
We’ve got to ask. We need to get to know our people. Then recognise them in the currency they value most.
Doing something is better than doing nothing!
How do you recognise people? Do you have a formal or informal program in place? What has worked best?
* From “The Drivers of Great Work” (Cicero Group research commissioned by the O.C. Tanner Institute, 2014) in the report, in the THE BUSINESS CASE FOR RECOGNITION: The latest research, compelling insights, and the benefits of effective recognition by O.C. Tanner.
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Related Articles:
What leadership principles do you need in a crisis?
Get Deep Rest Now: A Commitment to Boundless Leadership
From mutiny to loyalty: a leader's guide
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About the author, Canberra leadership expert Zoë Routh:
Zoë Routh is one of Australia’s leading experts on people stuff - the stuff that gets in our way of producing results, and the stuff that lights us up. She works with the growers, makers, builders to make people stuff fun and practical.
Zoë is the author of four books: Composure - How centered leaders make the biggest impact, Moments - Leadership when it matters most, Loyalty - Stop unwanted staff turnover, boost engagement, and build lifelong advocates, and People Stuff - Beyond Personalities: An advanced handbook for leadership. People Stuff was awarded Book of the Year 2020 by the Smart WFM Australian Business Book Awards.
Zoë is also the producer of The Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast.