People who leave companies do so for various reasons. They may be moving to a place that is further away from their job or they found a role that offers more opportunities for them. Everyone has their reasons, but many times they leave because of the leader that they work for.
Leaders have a visible role in an organization. They are in meetings with senior leaders and they interact with others throughout the organization. What about their direct reports though? It is important to be visible with them too. The direct reports need support and to know that you care what they are doing.
Mark is someone who is focused on using his visibility to be in front of his management. He says and does all the right things to them, so they assume he is doing a great job. However, he hasn’t spoken with the people on his team for months. Even when they reach out to him to get help or to share an update with him, he doesn’t respond. How would you feel if you worked for Mark? It isn’t very motivating and it doesn’t lead to someone being engaged. This type of leader isn’t someone that the team wants to emulate.
Leaders who don’t respect their people, don’t get respect in return.
This is an example of a leader who overuses his visibility to manage up in the organization and doesn’t use it all below his level. What should his team do? Some will figure out ways to work around him or try to move under a different leader. Many will bide their time and start looking for another role outside the company. Either way, they will not be as productive as they could be.
Leaders need to balance their time up, across, and down in an organization.
Being in front of management is important, but that shouldn’t exclude being in front of your team also. Find ways to balance your schedule to do both. Schedule time with each of your team members on a regular basis and have team meetings. This isn’t optional to do. You are a leader because you have a team and you have a responsibility to lead them.
Leaders like Mark need help with prioritization or learning how to lead a team. There is no need to struggle as the leader or the employee in this type of situation. If this is a similar experience that you are having, let me know. I can help you.