Thank you for listening to The Champion Forum Podcast with Jeff Hancher! Once a month, I share my top insights and answer your questions! In today’s episode, I’ll answer an aspiring leader’s question, reveal four reasons you should be preparing for turnover, and share a recent experience that reveals the importance of protecting your company’s culture. If you have a question that you want to be answered in an upcoming episode, visit jeffhancher.com or send an email to jeff@jeffhancher.com
Listener Question:
Q: “Jeff, I am currently in an organization that I want to grow with. I am not a current leader but would like to become one. What are some things I can do to prepare?”
A: Start to act like the leader you want to become. Don’t wait until you are ready! If you do, the opportunity will pass you by. Some first steps you can take include:
Ask your boss if there is anything else you can be doing.
Acquire a great mentor.
Increase your influence by focusing on relationships.
Put your character first.
Invest in your Emotional Intelligence.
Listen to the episode “Aspiring to Lead”.
Join a Leadership Development group.
Q: What makes you think that you are not ready to be a leader (or that you are not ready to lead at a higher level) yet? What can you do to overcome that belief? What characteristics or skills do you have that will make you a good leader? How can you accentuate those characteristics?
4 Reasons you need to recruit like never before:
A lot of the turnover that would have naturally occurred in 2020 did not happen. Many people did not want to inject the uncertainty of a job change into an already crazy year.
Covid-19 has caused people to reconsider why they are working in their industry. These discussions will directly accelerate turnover in 2021.
People are ready to move closer to home.
Covid-19 has caused dramatic changes in the way business occurs. Entire industries have been disrupted. Office jobs have become remote. All of that change will generate a lot of turnover.
Q: Have you considered leaving your job in the past year? Why or why not? Think about your past jobs. Which leaders and companies stand out in your mind? Why? How can you create an experience that makes people want to stay on your team or in your organization?
Build A Strong Culture
One of my clients was discussing a tenured employee who has become toxic. Choosing to keep a toxic player will cause your company’s culture to suffer. In fact, your organization’s culture will be determined by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate. You need to take full responsibility for your organization and address the situation before all the good employees leave and the toxic ones remain.
Q: What does it mean to take responsibility? Do you think leaders are responsible for their employee’s behavior? Why or why not? Describe a time when you dealt with a difficult employee. How did it affect your organization’s culture?
Application Activities
If you are a supervisor trying to keep your team from leaving, focus on creating an irresistible work environment and making sure you are paying your people fairly. Make a list now of the people you really want to keep in 2021 and consider giving them a raise or bonus. It will likely cost you less to invest in these areas than it will to replace a valuable employee.
Proactively look for new employees with an aggressive LinkedIn recruiting strategy. Don’t wait for HR to recruit for you. Take action now! Search for your ideal candidate on LinkedIN. leave them a voice memo or a video expressing your interest. Recruiting people who are not currently looking for a job will help you find reliable, loyal employees who are open to a new challenge, position, or pay raise.
If you want to become a better leader, you need to invest in your Emotional Intelligence. Read the book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 this summer or check out our company-wide training on Emotional Intelligence HERE.
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