Last week I wrote about how, as a leader, you will be having one on one conversations with your team members. It’s a choice as to whether you have those conversations as a regular part of your week, or in reaction to disgruntled employees who demand your time. Few would argue with the value of connecting proactively; extinguishing flames of discontent before they become a full, five alarm fire. Yet so few of us do them. I think the challenge is that we get comfortable with fighting fires. We take a certain masochistic pride in overcoming big obstacles and saving the day. “Reacting” starts to feel normal. And safe. It’s not.
There’s a talent shortage coming. A massive one. In fact, the looming 50 million leader shortage (in North America) in the next 6 years will make it harder than ever to find – and hold onto – those top tier employees that you need (as an organization) to stay competitive. Leaders who have relied on a passive thinking – ie. “I’ll find out what an employee needs/feels/thinks when they complain loud enough” – will find that their people aren’t complaining anymore. They’re leaving. Top talent will have more options than ever before in modern history. Do you think they’ll stick around waiting for a reactive manager to get to them? Dream on.
The alternative, then, is to become a proactive manager. Effectively, a leader. Someone who puts in the effort to better understand what’s happening in the trenches – not just through reports and KPIs, but through real, one on one conversations. Through group discussions around topics a little bit deeper – a little bit more important – than what’s superficially happening in the business. We don’t need to become parents, or friends. We do need to appreciate that the human beings who work for us have lives, aspirations and challenges that bleed beyond the walls of the office.
If we want those top performers to stay truly connected to their work – to give you their all in projects, tasks and client interactions – you need to stop reacting, and start seeking out ways to help those top performers realize their dreams while working for you. If you don’t do it, someone else will.
