Why Young Leaders Leave
June 10, 2009 by Phil Gerbyshak
Filed under Business
Many organizations lose their young leaders, and they wonder why. While I don’t have all the answers, I have some ideas about why this happens…and how to prevent it from happening!
1) No opportunities – Too often all the best opportunities go to your more seasoned associated. Stop cherry picking and spread the wealth. Also, don’t reward fogeyism. You know what I mean…the people who just "hang in there" and who quit and stay. Instead, make it meritocracy rules! Some places you cannot get promoted until you serve a certain amount of time in a particular job. Some think this rewards the loyal, but most young people would call it a major demotivator.
2) No understanding – Ask those who stay why they stay in, ask those who leave why they leave and make some changes. If someone leaves your company because they don’t like the discipline or the uniforms, stop chasing this person. This goes against the core culture of your organization. But if somebody leaves because they didn’t get something that they should have, find out early, and make it right. BEFORE they leave, preferably, not a last ditch gasp.
3) No equitable pay – This is stupid, and it’s so simple to fix: Pay your people equitably. If the gap in pay between your CEO, your top person, and your lowest level employee is 400%, you’ve got something wrong in your compensation structure.
4) No risk taking – Organizations that don’t take risks aren’t very attractive to young leaders. Instead of being risk averse, don’t be afraid to take risks, and reward those who fail. Too often, we see younger employees afraid to "take the shot" for fear of screwing up and costing the company money. Set aside money in the budget for some (not a ton) of calculated risk taking, and encourage managers to spend it. REWARD managers who spend it would be even better, especially if the 1 failure leads to 1 HUGE idea.
Not easy, to be sure, but these are a few simple ways companies can attract and retain their younger leaders.
What suggestions do you have for keeping your best young leaders?
Young leader courtesy of Srinivas Padma
Number 4. Number 4. Number 4. The difference I’ve most often seen is the most vibrant of young leaders will not wait for the company to give them responsibility. If the road looks blocked they move on. That might be the right thing for a company at any given point, but it does mean managers who are elevated over time have often self selected for characteristics that may be detrimental for the long haul. Like your big idea.
Great post, Phil. Here’s another to add to your list: lousy boss. In general, it’s true that people join companies and leave bosses. It’s possible to have a boss who looks fine from further up the org chart but who is seen as radioactive by the younger people working for him or her.
Your list gets better as it goes on…
while fogeyism is alive and well amongst the OLDS in many organizations, so is naivete amongst the YOUNGS. It’s not enough to understand how to build a better mousetrap; you have to be able to do it. Maybe you do, but I’ve seen many youngs who fancy themselves “idea guys” who have no practical sense for what it takes to execute.
#4 might be directly related to Wally’s note about bad managers. It might also be directly related to the impression you send: do you come across as a responsible risk taker who has thought through the situation–not from your perspective, but from your boss’ and your boss’ boss’? Or do you come across most as a cowboy who needs to be reigned in?
The way you get treated is commentary about your company, yes… but it’s also commentary about YOU. Go beyond the blame game; seek out and take ownership for the parts you yourself can improve.