Dealing with the “Great Resignation” Dilemma Part II
“I subscribe to the great resignation 100%. I have yet to work for a company with a great culture, (that) appreciates me and values my time. I’ve been worn down to nubs, and I’ve only been in the corporate world for 11 years.” This unsolicited testimony came via email to LEADon® in November 2021 during what has been dubbed the year of the “Great Resignation” (see Part I of LEADon’s® post here, or read The Atlantic’s October 2021 article by Derek Thompson at https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/10/great-resignation-accelerating/620382/ for data about this unsettling business trend).
The sentiments shared by the thirty-eight-year-old may be a bit shocking, but they are also extremely significant, particularly for leaders looking for ways to stem the mass exodus of mid-career employees. They also highlight two specific shortcomings found in far too many organizations:
- A weak Corporate Culture
- A non-existent Culture of Appreciation
The great news is that both of these deficiencies can be easily remedied, especially with intentional effort from you and your leadership team. At LEADon®, we’ve spent decades working with leaders just like you to address these critical components of healthy organizations, which also profoundly impact productivity and profitability.
While overcoming those shortcomings wont’ happen overnight, here are two simple steps you can take to deal with the Great Resignation dilemma:
- Establish a healthy, functional Corporate Culture: The team at LEADon® defines culture as a compilation of Values, Beliefs, and Behavior Patterns. All three of these components of Corporate Culture should be defined by you and your leadership team, and then they must be clearly communicated to every member of your Corporate Family®. In addition, those in leadership must role model these elements of culture on a consistent basis. We recommend taking our online course, Corporate Culture’s Bottom Line Impact on Your Corporate Family® to assist you in the process of clarifying your company’s culture (see LEADonUniversity.com for all of our online leadership courses).
- Develop and Nurture a Culture of Appreciation: Everyone on your team should feel that they are valued. Creating such an appreciative culture is a top-down approach that starts with those in leadership and then cascades throughout your entire organization. As we note in The LEADing Edge: 9 Strategies for Improving Internal and Intentional Leadership, this kind of culture will help you exceed expectations in every area of business since “learning to develop a culture of complimenting and appreciation is fundamental for successful leadership” (Wilke & Wilke, 2019, p. 134).
Even if the Great Resignation continues to impact the corporate world for some time, you don’t have to be resigned to its adverse effects. Indeed, instead of fretting over family members quitting, why not find ways to encourage team members to stay? After all, individuals who are happy in their environment don’t tend to leave, and those who know they’re valued are far less likely to feel “worn down to nubs.”
If LEADon® can assist you in developing a strategy for improving your organization’s Corporate Culture while nurturing an amazing Culture of Appreciation, please contact us. You can reach our team at 858.592.0700 or www.LEADonUniversity.com
