Keeping Good Employees by Tim Connor, CSP

Words of wisdom for this week.   

“People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character.”   Emerson

I don’t care whether we are in booming times or crisis mode, there are always good people looking for a new career opportunity, a change in lifestyle or just a more rewarding job experience.  And there are also good employees who are currently working for your organization who are hard working, creative, loyal and dedicated.

Having said this, it’s amazing to me how many managers treat their some of their employees with disrespect, disdain, contempt or downright scorn or ridicule.  If you have great employees and I’m sure you do, I urge you to evaluate your people skills to ensure you are not contributing in any way to the loss of some of your best employees or to their poor or marginal performance or their lack of motivation or effectiveness.  Remember, people don’t quit jobs, they quit managers.

Your organization was built and will continue to grow due to the effort, time, creativity and loyalty of your best employees.  Yes, people come and go.  Employee attrition is normal given the changes in motivation, desires and needs of individuals, but if you’re best employees don’t see a clear career path into the future they will begin to emotionally disconnect from your organization and eventually leave. And they will tend to lack effectiveness on your behalf until they do.

I won’t go into the overall costs of replacing good employees, suffice it to say that regardless of the position, it is substantial.  And I’m not just talking here about the direct replacement expenses or costs.

Here are a few things to consider if you want to keep your best employees for the long term.

-Get to know them; their dreams, hopes, desires, frustrations and fears.

-Listen to them without prejudice.

-Treat them with respect.

-Validate them frequently.

-Give them the training they want, need and desire.

-Give them your time and your expertise as a coach.

-Include them in planning or discussions that will impact them or that they need to be aware of.

-Recognize their accomplishments, effort and dedication.

-Appreciate them often.

-Show them a clear career path for their growth and what they need to do to achieve it.

-Lead them don’t manage them.

-Give them authority with responsibility.

-Trust them.

Obviously there’s a lot more, but I’ll guarantee if you’ll do most of these you will have a staff of dedicated, motivated, loyal and effective people.  However, fail to do most of them and I’ll also guarantee that sooner or later your lack of effective people skills will come back to haunt you and your bottom line.

About The Author:
Tim Connor, CSP World renowned Speaker, Trainer and best selling author of 67 titles, Box 397, Davidson, N.C. 28036 USA, 704-895-1230 (voice) - 704-895-1231 (fax) - tim@timconnor.com (email) - www.timconnor.com (Website)

TO HIRE TIM - CONTACT;

Tim Connor, CSP
Speaker, Trainer, Best Selling Author
Box 397 Davidson, N.C. 28036 USA
704-895-1230 (voice) 704-895-1231 (fax)
tim@timconnor.com (email)
www.timconnor.com