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Introduction
It’s become all too common for businesses to have a metaphorical revolving door in terms of employee retention. The meme that states “people don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad bosses” has been circulated so much that it’s almost impossible to not swipe past it on social media. The rise in popularity of this saying shows a solid trend towards individuals becoming fed up with their bosses, managers, leadership, etc., as there seems to be a direct correlation between the two. Whether it’s because the individual has experienced it themselves or merely because they empathize with the sentiment, the fact that this saying or feeling are on the rise is worth looking into, to discover why this has come to pass.
The Common Trend: Employee Retention and Leadership
The Revolving Door and the Influence of Leadership
Some could argue that it is because of the new generation of working individuals who show a trend to leave an employer when that business no longer benefits them or rather, they find another business with a better opportunity. It could also be argued that the rise is because of the state of the economy, people searching for the next big job that will pay them more or offer better benefits. Fading away are the days of companies having many of the employees staying for decades on end, loyalty to the company is becoming a thing of the past, but why. Surely, the economy and changes of life status play a role, but this has always been the case in our society. The economy has always fluctuated and life status changes such as marriages, divorces, births, deaths, medical emergencies, etc., have always happened, so why now?
The Erosion of Leadership Qualities
Fewer Leaders, More Opportunistic Individuals
The stronger argument is that of the fact that we are seeing fewer leaders in our society and more opportunistic individuals who are only out for themselves. It’s almost as if the ushering in of the get rich quick schemes infiltrated the minds of those in leadership roles to the point in which they only think of themselves, and the subordinates are their resource to help them achieve their goal. The desire to look good for those at the executive level stresses them so much so that they have lost sight of the fact that it is the subordinates which keep the wheels of the machine moving. They use an authoritarian rule to be forceful on the subordinates, using fear of punishment as a weapon against the employee to garner their desired results.
Impact of Authoritarian Leadership
Subordinates as Tools and the Cost of Success
But what they have failed to realize is that the first result of this type of leadership is a lower quality product. Employees who are in constant fear of punishment, for even the smallest of mistakes or infractions, stifles their desire to be creative, efficient, hardworking, and thus garners only the desire to reach the required minimum. This in turn prevents the company from achieving more and as such, essentially makes it less successful. Lower productivity is more often the direct result of a sole authoritarian leadership style rather than the lack of employee skill or knowledge. It forces employees into a mindset of only wanting to keep their jobs and pay rather than them wanting the company to succeed, thus hampering the age-old tradition of loyalty to the company. They get to a point at which they do not care if the company succeeds or fails, only that they are paid, and the effort they put into their work shows this.
The Power of Employee Satisfaction
The Connection Between Employee Well-being and Company Success
If an employer is mindful, this change in productivity will stand out like a sore thumb as a signal that something in the dichotomy of the workplace has changed or is lacking and afford the leader the opportunity to make a positive change. Sadly, the leader who uses a sole authoritarian leadership style will see this as a time to “crack the whip” to force the employees to increase production, which only drives the ill-natured sentiment deeper into the employee, which in turn can become infectious.
The Influence of Leadership Patterns
The Cycle of Success and Subsequent Patterns
Large companies like H-E-B, Google, and Microsoft, all make the Forbes list for best employers, and all retain more than 100,00 employees each, because they realized that investing in their employees ultimately makes the company more successful. They still use a form of authoritarian leadership, but it is not the guiding principle for the leaders in those companies. They have realized that employees that are satisfied with their employer, develop loyalty, are happier, and more productive. Companies can be more successful because their employees are more successful, and it’s not all about the money, its about the benefits, the work environment, the feeling of making a difference and mattering to the company. Whether the company does care about the employee or not is irrelevant because the sentiment to the employee is that the company does care, and that sentiment alone will often bridge the gap between employee pay and retention. The company can minimize the effects of lower pay, less benefits, less chances of advancement, etc. by simply seeming to care as much about the employee as it does the bottom line.
The Lament for True Leaders
The Regret of Losing Quality Leadership
Alas, despite the simplicity of caring for others, most companies today focus on the bottom line more, which has bred this type of leader who desires only to better themselves. The success of these authoritative or dictatorship styled leaders is noticed by the subordinates and keeps the pattern alive and well, as these subordinates also strive to be successful and see that type of leadership as their only avenue. This sentiment creates a hostile work environment that pits employees against each other, fostering a workplace environment of back biting and constant strife, which often leads to a less successful company. The death of our leaders is something to be mourned, as the true leaders fade away into the past and all feel a lower quality of life. Until the pattern shifts, leadership value and quality will continue to fall and everyone else with it.