A change will do you good... but I don't want to leave

The recession is coming to an end. The business journalists are writing doomsday articles about the impending mass exodus of frustrated employees. Employers are supposed to fortify the dams and fashion retention ties (golden handcuffs are passé’).

What’s interesting is that most good employees don’t want to leave and most employers don’t want to lose good employees. (Read Jerry’s Harvey’s “the Road to Abilene”.) Where is the disconnect? Too many companies were too quiet for too long about how they were dealing with a troublesome economy. Hearing nothing, employees became anxious and subsequently disengaged.

One tactic in a solid engagement/retention strategy: talk with your employees. Let them know what's going on in the business and how they can help. More importantly, let them kow that develoment opportunities still exist. Good employees want development and want to know what the future holds. Ironically, most meaningful development doesn't cost a lot of money; and, it occurs on the job via projects, stretch assignments, attending conferences or meeting and working with clients.

Good managers - those who are good coaches and care about developing leaders and engaging their teams - hold the keys. People quit managers, not companies. How you feel about your manager directly affects how you feel about your company.

With what money companies have left after the travails of 2009, they should invest in developing managers to develop people. It will be the best investment made in 2010 and beyond.