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Plugging The Talent Drain You re right the Great Resignation is a hyped up name And sure a bunch of people are regretting their decision to quit their last job But the problem is real In fact it s much much worse It s not simply the volume of staff attrition it s that your best and brightest are being lured away Too many leaders think its all about money And yes money has a lot to do with it particularly in sectors where staff have been poorly compensated for decades Yet even there it s not exclusively about money nor is is just about flexibility and the draining commute It s got a lot more to do with the culture they find at the workplace and the sad state of leadership they find in them Power and Purpose The purpose of this guide is to provide you with a few simple tools and ideas backed by neuroscience that will help you plug the talent drain in your team and organisation The power of your payoff when you put this into action will be that you and your team and all those with whom you interact will feel recognised engaged enriched and happier Employees will prefer to stay and productivity will rise Key questions to be considering as you read watch or listen to this AdvantEdge Coaching Guide What is the ONE thing you will stop doing start doing or change how you behave or act that will have the greatest impact on your leadership performance from your learning here

What is the single tiniest step you can take immediately that will begin that improvement and by when

Plugging The Talent Drain E What is the Problem Who Does This Hurt If we ve learned something from this pandemic it s that we NEED community We were built for community We already know that a fundamental need for all human beings is to feel as though you belong to a tribe And we re better when we are in a community We collaborate more readily we reach out to help one another we feel safer we feel protected Even more so when that community is under siege from external forces Whether its and invading army a disease or simply the competition When our community is attacked we work together more effectively Not always and not all members but enough that Homo sapiens gained supremacy over other better qualified and better equipped alternatives Instead we reach out to parasocial tools using technology Whether its Facebook friends TikTok reels or a character in a Netflix drama we have replaced the deep social connections of friendships family and real community And the same has happened in the workplace Exacerbated recently by the pandemic that allowed people to be quarantined at home separated from loved ones and banned from socialising The world was forced to catch up over video conference A communication platform that all but destroys empathy

But perhaps more importantly people have become increasingly unhappy and dissatisfied with their life This could be because our expectations of happiness are created by the parasocial platforms that show only an idealised and glamorous world inhabited by a small selection of the very beautiful and famous Keen to bolster their own egos the blame for the lack of a collaborative community has been laid by many bosses on the reluctance of many to return to the office where they can be more easily monitored and controlled It has something to do with corporate culture apparently Somehow the office environment is a magical fairyland where everyone collaborates happy to be surrounded by physical human beings showing their immense gratitude to their employers by raising performance and generating new sales from thin air Only that isn t what s happening Bad pay is a primary factor cited and lured with the possibilities of better pay and a less toxic work environment and greater flexibility people are quitting in droves

Plugging The Talent Drain D What s Happening in Your Brain We all share six common fundamental needs that drive our behaviour mostly unconsciously When our needs are being met we feel fulfilled and satisfied even happy When these needs are not being met we become painfully consciously aware of the lack and intend to act to address that lack I emphasise intend because we do not always act on it because we can make a conscious choice We may be effectively powerless to act because it really is beyond our capabilities or choose to be constrained due to some other societal or social expectations For example you want to quit your badly paid job in a toxic work environment but you have debts a to pay and mouths to feed Either way stress inducing chemicals cortisol and norepinephrine adrenaline have already prepared you for the freeze fight or flight response we all know well The more basic the unmet need the greater the desire to respond Food water shelter are survival fundamental That s what minimum wage is meant to cover And some bosses think that s ample I d like to see them live on it only for 6 months and find out how ample it really is Feeling safe both physically and psychologically are essential When you don t feel safe you don t take risks or speak out for fear of reprisal It s often considered better safer to keep your head down and be a Madras Crab and avoid Tall Poppy syndrome

Feeling that you belong to a tribe is next We all know that being and feeling part of a community is beneficial Isolation is bad for us solitary confinement is a punishment meted out in prisons The temptation though when we do find our community is to build walls around it to keep other tribes invaders out and silo ourselves from even those tribes that we need to be effective ourselves Then we can concern ourselves that we and what we do matters That we make a difference That our work and our lives have meaning and the self respect and self esteem that makes us feel good about ourselves If I m really amply paid I can pay for the essentials some safety and even my tribe they may not be genuine but so long as I keep paying But life can feel pretty empty and pointless Even the very rich and famous have plenty of issues here just check in with the writings of the richest wisest man to ever live in the Book of Ecclesiastes Becoming your very best self is a pretty high level need This is your need to realise or actualise your talents and potential You are more likely to respond to a threat to your basic survival needs than your need to selfactualise And threats to the more basic needs correspond with higher levels of stress hormones Hang on a second what about the sixth need That s what is so utterly wonderful about our brain As we ll learn in a moment we already have the solution to meeting our own needs with another of our own needs We need to serve others Something Maslow called self transcendence

Plugging The Talent Drain D How Much of a Problem is this really The numbers are all over the place 44 of people intend to quit their jobs in 2022 according to a Towers Watson survey 58 in Singapore plan to do so Sure they might not all quit but they re sufficiently unmotivated to stay Gallup s State of the Global Workplace for 2022 paints a shocking picture on employee engagement with just one fifth engaged in their work Stressed out employees represent a massive 44 higher now than at the top of the pandemic Many leaders cite that people quitting is all about greed for more pay and rewards desire for more flexibility and return to office policies And it s the talent who are being hunted and poached Recruitment companies and headhunters are finding lucrative and 59 of willing talent ready to cast aside old loyalties for a few lot of dollars more and the promise of a better future Perhaps more importantly a mere 62 do not feel that they belong to a supportive community at their current workplace I e they consider the company culture to be toxic The same Flexjobs survey shows that Poor management cited by 56 Lack of healthy worklife boundaries at 49 and not allowing remote work at 43 Toxic Work cultures include failure to promote diversity equity and inclusion workers feeling disrespected and unethical behaviour And according to an MIT Sloan study are 10 4 times more important than compensation is in predicting staff attrition And the cost of replacing that employee averages at an all time high of USD5 000 each The cost for executive level just shy of 15 000

Of course if you re in the recruitment business you ll be happy that an estimated 50 billion will be spent on hiring this year It s good to know someone s thriving along with the vaccine makers and the real estate industry

Plugging The Talent Drain G How Can I Be Better In This Area Nothing of significance was ever achieved by someone acting alone Look below the surface and you will find that all seemingly solo acts are really team efforts John C Maxwell Before we dive in here I d like you to remember and think about the person in your life who made you feel valuable worthwhile or just plain made you feel good about yourself Got someone Great Hopefully it s a current boss It could be a parent a relative a teacher a spouse a friend Anyone who made you feel that they cared for you Contrary to popular myth I am not suggesting that you go and recruit a team to help you achieve something significant If you want to be truly successful If you want your life and your work to have meaning and purpose If you want to UnLock your talents and UnStuck your true potential Go help others achieve their success No you did not misread or mishear

As a leader you want to plug the talent drain Then radically care for your people And I mean ALL of them Not just those you think are talent or the current best performers Heck you may not even like many of them But I m not asking you to like them I m saying Go and serve them Help them Edify them Appreciate them Care for them How By communicating that you care for them Need some statistics to back this up Sure thing 91 of employees in an Interact Harris poll say their leaders lack the one critical skill of communication On a positive note 9 did not say that Not recognising achievements 63 Not giving clear directions 57 Not having time to meet with employees 51 And the list goes on check out the link Remember that a Toxic Work Culture one where people do not feel respected a lack of promoting equity diversity and inclusion is 10x more important than compensation in predicating staff attrition TEN TIMES So now you re convinced that maybe there s something in this communication of care The good news is that you don t even have to force a smile as you do this it will come quite naturally You know why Because we were made for community and our brain triggers our happy chemicals when we engage in community We are built to help each other Our brains thrive on this stuff Sure it feels great when someone serves you that s what many people enjoy about eating out flying business class getting a haircut You know what makes your brain gleefully joyful Serving and caring for others Lifting up others Every time you care for someone else Every time you show care by serving someone else Every time you show appreciation to someone You receive a lovely dose of dopamine perhaps a little serotonin maybe some endorphins off it took effort And these chemicals make you feel good In fact they make you feel fantastic But I must warn you that these feelings are addictive and as you embark on this journey you ll want more If you stop you ll get withdrawal and may even seek a costly substitute Once you start caring for others you had better just continue Start real simple Tomorrow decide that you will greet everyone you meet with a smile and a hearty good morning and use their name if you know it Too much Just the smile then

Keep it up Yes you will get strange looks People will seem to regard you as completely nuts and far too happy what have you got to be happy about huh Keep it up Some people will smile back If not today then maybe the next day or the day after Some will never smile back They are not your problem Keep it up When you re ready to upgrade your happy chemicals dosage catch your people doing something good and appreciate them Upgrade some more Ask them for feedback What can I start doing stop doing do differently that will allow me to serve you better Thank them for any feedback you get take it onboard and start stop or change whatever they suggested And when they ask What s the matter Are you dying Tell them no I ve just decided that it s time I truly lived and point them to this resource And that individual you remembered just before this section I am absolutely certain that they showed that they cared for you They made you feel good Are you so very different to everyone else in this world G How Can I Be Better In This Area Nothing of significance was ever achieved by someone acting alone Look below the surface and you will find that all seemingly solo acts are really team efforts John C Maxwell

Plugging The Talent Drain E What Next Will this plug your talent drain It will eventually Or at least it ll help more than the pay increments you ve been throwing at the problem Of course it may be a little late in the day for the current situation but start now and you ll be better prepared for the next crisis It is often said that people join companies but quit managers Well it s true in part but great leaders can more than make up for a poor manager It s that toxic work culture that makes a bigger difference and that is a leadership issue Stop being passive expecting good relationships with and within your team to magically happen If you don t put in the work and the time to build and maintain those relationship then you ll soon have all the alone time you could ever want Make more time for engaging your people colleagues bosses staff But I m overloaded already I know you are The overflowing inbox that steals much of your day well you ve dealt with what matters by talking to people Only hold meetings when meeting are the very best way Prioritise what matters with those who matter Hold weekly TouchPoint sessions of just 15 minutes with your boss and each team member and attrition rates drop two thirds That s 66 people who DON T QUIT and also improve performance

Oh and those of you who want everyone back in the office Do stop repeating the myths about better performance in the office more innovation or that stale argument about company culture If you make it policy to go to the office productivity drops engagement suffers well being declines and desire to quit Yeap goes up Be honest You prefer being in the office Perhaps you feel more in control or more visible to your bosses or maybe you just need to get out of the house Instead Make the office a flexible choice and make coming into the office so valuable so affirming so enjoyable and engaging that people want to come in because you are there and you care for them to feel good recognised valued and affirmed When they feel good your clients and customers will feel good and will want to do business with you Increased productivity and profits will follow Up 21 if Gallup s survey is correct Plugging The Talent Drain What do I do if I need help to do this The first step is to talk to someone you trust A medical doctor a pastor a true friend Maybe a coach or mentor Remember everyone has a greater or lesser issue with this because we all have a brain wired the same way and we all If you want to consider coaching you can learn more about AdvantEdge Coaching so that you can have Joy Work and Your Team to becomes United in Trust and Collaboration contact us here and arrange a complimentary confidential no obligation Discovery Session Hi I m Dr John Kenworthy and as your AdvantEdge Coach my purpose is to Encourage Develop Guide and Empower you in the Art and Neuroscience of Expert Leadership so that you build a successful organisation and create a collaborative high performing team with engaged joyful employees If you would like to learn how AdvantEdge Coaching can help you your team and your organisation then join me for a Complimentary Discovery Session by applying here

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