If you’re worn out and mentally exhausted from trying to navigate the aftermath of the Big Quit or Great Resignation, welcome to the club called “People Leadership." Everything that used to work no longer does, and what you hope will work going forward is a crapshoot at best.
Employees have commandeered the old playbooks in the workplace formally known as “normal” and have completely rewritten every organizational decree. What leader wouldn’t be exhausted from trying to climb a learning curve the size of Mt. Everest? So, please take a deep cleansing breath, let it slowly out, and feel your body relax. Help has arrived. Your Big Quit Survival Guide is here.
These new rules are rooted in one basic premise that is so simplistic on the surface that most leaders look right past it. Namely, people are people first and employees second. Hence the number one rule in the rewritten employee playbook is, “My employer will respect me as a valued human being.”
It seems easy, right? Well, it isn't until you have clearly defined what "respect" looks like for each of your people. We're not talking basic civilities here but rather a deeper understanding of how each employee defines respect. Without that information, leaders fall into the trap of treating their people the way they would want to be treated. Big mistake!
How do you figure this all out? Check out Chapter 10 of my new book, the Big Quit Survival Guide to see the specific questions you’ll want to ask each of your employees about their definition of respect and how to conduct that critical conversation easily and quickly (and yes, this is a sales pitch).
Another new employee rule is, “My employer will measure my performance on the quality and timeliness of my results, not the hours worked." The employee performance evaluation process is undergoing a critical paradigm shift as organizations move to remote and hybrid working models. Think about what's most important for the outcome you desire. For example, would you care if it took me 4 hours or 40 years to write the Big Quit Survival Guide? Likely not! What matters most is that you receive a high-quality, how-to guide with practical ideas that will attract and keep your best people. It's the same mindset hybrid, and remote employees have. They want to be evaluated on the quality of their work and will not tolerate any monitoring device that tracks hours on a work computer for long. Chapter 16 of the Big Quit Survival Guide lays out the best practices and tactics that all remote or hybrid teams leaders must have in their leadership arsenal today.
The Big Quit Survival Guide will give you answers to these new workplace questions:
What’s the best way to collect employee engagement data?
What are the needs and motivators of these new employees?
How can I get more employees to be as productive and engaged as my top performers?
How can I really help my people get a handle on burnout?
Is unlimited time off a good retention strategy?
What are the warning signs I can watch for BEFORE someone resigns?
How can I get better at dealing with ambiguity and making better decisions without having all the information?
How can I be sure that my employees feel that the Rewards and Respect they are getting is outweighing what is being required of them?
What should I be doing now to prepare a backup plan if my key employee were to leave?
How can I be sure I am building a culture of trust and psychological safety?
Do different generations define Rewards and Respect Differently?
How can a small business compete with robust compensations packages larger organizations can provide?
How can I ensure a new hire’s first day on the job is as positive as possible?
How do I effectively onboard a remote employee?
What’s the most effective leadership style in the new workplace? Do I lead that way?
How do I balance empathy with an employee and still ensure accountability?
What are the risks of leading both onsite and remote employees together? How can I avoid them?
Who really owns employee retention? Is it the leader? The organization?
These are just a few of the new rules of engagement. Don't get left behind. Pick up a copy of the Big Quit Survival Guide and then download your free set of Survival Tactics. You'll see instructions at the end of the “Who Should Read this Book” section in the opening pages on how to print your user-friendly copy of all the Survival Tactics introduced in the book in a printable 8½ x 11–size format. These include great tips, worksheets, and reflections to help you nail the talent war.
Help is finally here! Grab the book, subscribe to the Big Quit Blog below, and let me know you're doing. I'd love to answer your questions and celebrate your newfound successes at leading people. You can reach me on LinkedIn or via email at merrylue@bigquitsurvivalguide.com. Stay tuned for more!