People don’t leave organizations. They quit their manager.
I know that’s a well-worn line. But it continues to happen because it remains true.
When looking at engagement data across organizations (those that score well and those that struggle), the biggest differentiator is almost always the quality of the manager-employee relationship. It is not a compensation package. It’s not an office layout. It’s not a perk. Relationship.
Why is the manager-employee relationship so important?
Your boss has more influence over your daily work experience than any other factor. These affect how you receive feedback, whether you understand your priorities, how supported you feel, whether you feel your work is noticed, and whether you have what it takes to do your job.
If that relationship is working, most other things will become acceptable. If not, there’s little to make up for it.
Gallup research shows that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores. That’s no small impact. That is the dominant effect.
The reality of bad management
Here, I would like to refute the common “bad manager” narrative. In my experience, most managers are not bad people who intentionally make bad decisions. They are often technically talented individual contributors who are promoted without being developed into talent leaders.
They don’t manage people, they manage jobs. Feedback is provided once a year rather than continuously. Either you’re too busy to have regular 1:1s, or you do have regular 1:1s, but they’re used to check on the status of tasks rather than to actually connect with the person. They believe that if something isn’t broken, there’s no point in fixing it.
As a result, employees feel invisible. It’s not that they’re being abused, it’s just invisible.
What makes great managers different?
We hold regular one-on-one meetings. This is not a project update. Conversations about how the person is doing, what they need, and what is getting in their way. Every week or every other week, without fail.
They provide specific and timely feedback. It’s not “good job” and it’s not an annual performance review. They quickly close the loop. This worked. Here’s why: This was not the case. Here’s how to adjust:
they claim. They step up to bat for their employees for development opportunities, recognition, and resources. Their team knows there’s someone in the corner of the room.
They stay curious. they ask questions. They don’t assume they know what each person’s motivations on the team are. Because each person is different. they get it.
what you can do about it
If you’re a senior leader reading this, Lever isn’t telling managers to be better. It’s about developing them better and holding them accountable not only for the business side but also for the people side of the job.
Manager effectiveness must be a measurable outcome. If your engagement survey breaks down data by team, you’re already getting a signal. Let’s act on it.
Source: gothamCulture – gothamculture.com
