5 Ways To Be a Manager That People Don’t Want to Quit

People often say that they leave their managers rather than their jobs. Companies need employees who can effectively motivate and guide others if they want to increase retention. Management is actually at the top of LinkedIn’s list of the 2023 Most In-Demand Skills.

According to Andrew McCaskill, a career expert for LinkedIn, “the role of the manager is really important because managers are the everyday representation of the company. Your manager shapes your perspective of the business and how you interact with it. It’s one of those jobs where the incumbent must develop their managerial abilities and maintain an ongoing learning and development process.”

Emily Field, coauthor of The Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work and a partner in McKinsey’s Seattle office, says that one of the top three reasons people leave their jobs is because of uncaring and uninspiring leaders. Additional McKinsey Global Institute research, companies that excel at developing their employees—we’d argue through their middle managers—have attrition rates that are roughly five percentage points lower than those of their competitors.

Underlying skills make up the skill of management. The following are five characteristics of a good manager.

They Set Contexture

According to McCaskill, one of the biggest errors managers can make is assuming that their team is aware of company news.

Managers must help put what is going on around them and in the industry into perspective. With all of the uncertainty in the market, it’s very tempting to only read the headlines rather than clicking twice to read the full articles. They ought to be speaking openly with employees about the state of the business.

Transparency can increase trust, even when the news is bad. A successful approach, according to McCaskill, is to be transparent, provide employees with information, and demonstrate empathy in all interactions with direct reports.

They Are Proactive

Most bosses conduct exit interviews with staff members, asking them things like: what went wrong, what did you need that we couldn’t give you, exactly, what else could I have done to improve the situation? Ola Chowning, a partner at international technology research and advisory firm ISG, argues that once someone has made the decision to leave, it is already too late.

Instead, she argues that managers should constantly interact with their staff members, learning about their needs and goals as well as how they feel about their work and how they can improve it. Before an employee starts to consider quitting, “[show] interest and compassion and [take] mitigating actions,” advises Chowning. “People work for leaders they can learn from. Share your knowledge and insights, and show vulnerability and openness.”

They Are Emotional

The founder of the peer-to-peer learning platform MentorCloud and author of The Art of Mentoring: Simple Tools and Techniques to Achieve Your Full Potential, Ravishankar Gundlapalli, asserts that empathy is of the utmost importance. As a leader, you deal with people, so having both empathy and compassion is necessary, he says. “You must have a great deal of patience. Leaders must inspire more than they influence in order to be effective coaches.”

They Assist Employees in Growing

When managers bring out the best in their workers, they won’t want to quit. According to Field, “managers do this best by acting as navigators, connectors, and coaches, helping employees navigate their organizations and individual careers; fostering learning and continuous development; ensuring each person’s voice is heard and respected; and understanding and advocating for the needs of their direct reports.” As per Chowning, effective leaders give staff members challenging assignments, freely delegate authority, and foster a climate of psychological safety that accepts that trying something new frequently involves making mistakes.

From a capability standpoint, “help employees find where their right fit is,” she advises. Give younger employees honest feedback about their performance because they frequently experiment and test out new things. This will help them identify and develop their strengths and lessen their weaknesses. Apply the leadership maxim, “stand by employees when they succeed,” then, advises Chowning “let them be in the spotlight, and publicly thank them.” Give them challenging tasks so they can learn and develop. “Stand in front of them when they are obstructed to break down barriers to success, defend when necessary.”

They Value Employees’ Input

According to Shanna Hocking, leadership consultant and author of One Bold Move a Day: Meaningful Actions Women Can Take to Fulfill Their Leadership and Career, your role as a leader isn’t to have all the answers; rather, it’s to assist your team in finding the answers.

Ask questions and pay attention to what your staff members have to say, she advises. They frequently have ideas for improving the quality and effectiveness of the work. When you’re starting a new project or initiative, this is especially helpful. Employees are more likely to want to contribute to projects and give their best work if they feel heard and valued.

Despite this, Hocking rejects the notion that managers should strive to retain all of their staff. It is her responsibility as a leader to foster an atmosphere in which workers can succeed both personally and professionally and to assist them in realizing their full potential, wherever that may be.

Good managers build devoted teams that strive for the success of the team and the organization as a whole. Use these skills to become a manager that your employees can’t seem to quit!