Even if they holler, don’t let them go!
Have you ever found yourself in a scenario where someone on your team unexpectedly decides to quit?
Of course.
And, how does it usually go for you when this happens?
I’m really curious what you might say or do to keep somebody. Or maybe you just let folks go without a fight.
The cost of people leaving your company goes far beyond productivity woes. Group morale can drop, drama and gossip can go up a notch creating a negative distraction field in the workplace, and the price of training a replacement could be put to better use!
Today I want to talk to you about how to prevent people from quitting on your team and how to handle scenarios when someone very unexpectedly decides to leave your crew.
You’re going to need a test subject though. Someone to pick apart and look inside with a flashlight. You’re gonna need me!
Uh-huh. I’m the Michael Jordan of quitting. Well, I used to be in my twenties and early thirties, it took a long time to unlearn this disastrous art!
I can tell you about how quitters work in cycles, how they think, and why they drift, but first I wanna dive into how to flip the script on someone about to bail on you.
One day, while doing construction I was at the end of yet another employment sprint which always starts out like dating: it’s great the first few weeks, then it gets boring after a couple of months, and next thing you know I can’t stop thinking about other opportunities every day.
Checked out harder than usual that day, I sat down and put my face in my hands right on a job site where the customer could probably see me. I was acting miserable.
My boss just happened to be coming by and saw me there.
In my experience, this is always when the owner yells, points fingers, and shoots dirty looks.
However, my boss walked over, looked into my eyes calmly, and simply asked me what it was that had me join his company in the first place.
Nothing else. He didn’t ask me what was going on even though he knew I had a kid.
He wasn’t trying to be my friend. He was just curious and straight.
When I told him it was all about my daughter something shifted - the anxiety in my stomach became energy in my chest.
Without asking any more questions he simply said:
‘Well then, get back up for her and help me build this company.’
Suddenly, it was like stepping out of a bad dream.
I smiled. Got up. Grabbed my shovel and jumped back into the pit to dig.
I didn’t feel tricked or pressured.
All this guy did was align what really mattered to me to the moment, to building his company which was far more motivating to me than perceiving that every week is the same at work.
Later I found out that he had some life coaching training which is surprising to hear about a construction guy.
But that was what made him able to seemingly double his business every two years while working with difficult help.
So if you want to practice being an extraordinary leader like my previous employer, keep in mind that when it comes to quitters, people stay or go based on their value system, it’s different for everyone so you gotta find out for yourself and ask.
Also, people who tend to drift and quit will tend towards playing games. Don’t waste time trying to figure them out.
Instead, talk about their purpose to leverage them out of a drama mindset.