By Mike Faber
I had a great conversation recently with Leigh Branham SPHR, founder and principal of Keeping the People Inc. Leigh’s made a life-study of why good people leave jobs, what businesses do to drive them away, and what those same businesses can do to hang on to their talented workforce. Among the statistics that leap out at me from Leigh’s work are the following:
- 88% of employees leave their jobs because of reasons other than compensation.
- 60% of employees feel ignored or taken for granted.
- When measuring areas of leadership focus, “Developing direct reports” came in 67th. Of 67 competencies.
People have questioned whether “Aloha Leadership” concentrates on so-called “soft skills” – the inference being that soft skills don’t add to the bottom line. The answer is “Yes”, Aloha is about developing soft skills; treating people fairly, being transparent in your leadership, recognizing that diversity is a strength and not a hindrance.
Soft skills are more critical to bottom line performance than compensation. Leigh Branham’s work, along with that of myself and others proves that. If you can’t pay people enough to influence them to stay (how many times have you heard someone say “I wouldn’t take that job for all the money in the world!”) then your leaders have to be adaptable enough to lead without a carrot or a stick.
When you adopt the principles of Aloha in your leadership practices, you and the people around you feel more valued. Employees have a stake in the success of their business because they know the business has a stake in their individual success. If that sounds like a place you’d like to work, then make the changes yourself.
Learn more about Leigh’s work at http://www.keepingthepeople.com/ To find out more about Aloha Leadership, call our offices at 303.594.3097 or email Mike Faber at mike@mikefaber.com
