“Teeth…ignore them and they will go away.” -1960’s ADA media message
The phrase quoted above has been embedded in my brain for over 50 years, and it has worked for me. Other than my 3rd molars, I still have all my teeth.
Let’s move from teeth to turnover. In today’s business workplace adequate staffing is one of the biggest concerns to deal with. How do we find good people and keep them? Often, it is all about paying attention. Here is an example: I have a friend who recently quit his job. Here’s what happened: When he was hired a year ago top management told him how much they appreciated and encouraged new ideas that can make the company more profitable. That excited Phil and he began looking right and left for ways to preserve profit and generate more revenue. His ideas were detailed and well thought out. He began presenting them. Top management did not respond or acknowledge them. That was discouraging for Phil, and over time his eagerness subsided. He became “checked out”, and no longer felt he could represent the company with the right attitude. He resigned and it was an amicable departure.
The best we can tell, about 90% of turnover is a result of dissatisfaction with an immediate supervisor. What is the cause of that dissatisfaction? Too many times it is the preoccupation or lack of attention to our direct reports. Let’s remember the most important objective of a manager: “To build others and make them more successful”. To do that, we need to pay attention, welcome their ideas, and carefully weigh them. Otherwise, we can ignore them, and they will go away!
