I told you I’d find inspiration and ideas. It drives me nuts to be frustrated (especially when others are being dorks, ha), but it’s where my best thoughts come to light! I have returned from Southern California where I spent three days in some of the deepest learning and reflective work I have experienced since starting my PhD. I was surrounded by phenomenally intelligent individuals. More important though was the passion and kindness they brought to the experience. I loved being around these people who were there to improve themselves AND take that knowledge back to their organizations. We all share a passion for building others up. We honor the emotions, strengths, and personalities that make people the individuals they share with us. It was an honor and joy to be part of this learning experience. I am inspired!
The organizational exit research I work on is so important, and this incredible group of people in SoCal reminded me just how important. I have a renewed drive to keep digging and understanding in more detail why people leave their organizations. Even more important to me is that I hear the stories of these individuals who decide to leave. It’s one of the reasons I chose phenomenology as a methodology. Everyone’s lived experience is theirs, and it is important to understand that experience. Chances are that is experience is shared among many, not exactly but enough to give us insight that is crucial to organizational success.
I had a conversation with a friend this week. She found out there were rumors in her organization that she was going to leave. Ahhh, gossip, the informal communication channel. Being asked about the rumors didn’t bother her, it was the lack of compassion or understanding for others who had left previously and from where the rumors started. At first it made me laugh because I see this so often in leaders: reactive behavior, panic, and anger. Leaders who “get it” don’t react, they step back and assess. “Why are people leaving our organization with little to no notice?” “Why are rumors of others leaving floating around our organization?” “What is going on with my team?” “What am I missing here, and how can I help?”
Don’t get me wrong, I have been in that leadership position before where sometimes the only reaction you can have is panic and anger because you weren’t given enough time to be proactive and assess! I still chuckle at some of those moments, but here’s where I did things differently. After my reaction, after my anger and panic, I went back and assessed WITH my team. “What happened?” “What’s going on?” “What can we do to prevent this or minimize the risk in the future?” “What can I do to help or get the hell out of your way?” Trust me, even then I didn’t always get it right. What did go right was my approach built strong relationships and created a level of trust that other leaders in my organization did not have.
Organizational exit is real, folks. It’s not something we should be ignoring or setting ourselves up to be reactive. It’s expensive as hell to lose people. Worse though, it creates a level of distrust and low morale that is tough to improve – not impossible – but really tough. We work so hard to create successful organizations and get the right people on the bus and in the right seats. We work with humans who have stories and experiences that are important to them. Listen and really hear their story. I promise, you’ll find them fascinating and delightful just as much as you might find them frightening and worrying. One of the biggest joys I get from being a leader is the relationships that get built with those around me. I love hearing the stories and their experiences. And yeah, ha, sometimes they are out of this world stories with the ultimate eye pops, jaw drops, and laughs. The stories are where the success starts. It’s what makes being a leader an incredible job to have.
What are your thoughts on organizational exit? What do you hear when you listen to other’s stories? I’d love to hear more!
The last week or so has been incredible with a thousand highs and ah ha’s. It also ended with a health scare that I do not want to repeat any time soon! I guess you could say this was one of the “ah ha’s.” Ha! I will be going to posting a blog every other Friday. The writing I do here has been so pivotal to my thought process around my research so stopping isn’t an option I want to choose. I truly appreciate all of the reads, comments, and support. The food for thought and insight is wonderful. See you in two weeks!