Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
I’m a fan of the Apple TV series Ted Lasso.
I’m not going to give away the story line but one of my favorite quotes from the show happens when an employee goes looking for advice on how to resign because they don’t want their boss to think they were ungrateful for the opportunity. The quote is “A good mentor hopes you will move on. A great mentor knows you will.”
The same holds true for managers.
I believe a manager’s goal should be to hire and train their replacement. If a manager wants to move up within the company, they need to have someone who is ready to take on the manager role. This doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. And it takes employee development.
If a manager doesn’t work on training a replacement, then sadly what often happens is they get the new job and are stuck also doing their old job (until a replacement is identified and ready). Of course, no additional money. And this all happens during a time when the manager should be focused on their new role. It’s not a good situation for anyone.
Now, if the manager is happy where they are and doesn’t want to change positions, then they should still focus on team development to take on other opportunities. I’ve mentioned before about working in the hospitality industry and not wanting to relocate, so people would work at the hotel, develop their skills, gain experience, and they would move to a new opportunity.
The point being that managers should not hoard talent. They should create a situation where employees work hard, develop their skills, and move into new positions. Whether those positions are inside or outside the company. Having an employee leave for an exciting opportunity isn’t a poor reflection on the manager. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Yes, organizations want to retain employees. And managers want to be considered good at their jobs – so employees enjoy coming to work every day. But there’s a difference between wanting employees to have a great experience and holding them back.
With all the talk right now about the economy and the labor market, it can be very tempting to say that “we can’t afford employee development right now” or “if we develop people, they will take jobs with our competition”. Companies that don’t develop their employees will lose those employees. Because the company isn’t demonstrating that they care about an employee’s career. No one is going to stay with a company that says, “We like you. We just don’t want you to be marketable.”
Organizations want to develop employees so they will stay with the company as new positions become available. It starts with encouraging managers to develop their teams.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Columbus, OH
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Weixi Tan says
Words of gold indeed. A company that really cares for its staff and help them to grow will get to keep them.
Sharlyn Lauby says
Thanks for the comment!
Samir says
This was an important read that highlighted on aspects of the relationship between employees and managers. Employee development is something that should be the focal point of the workplace environment. The point that was made about the manager wanting to move up in a company really put it into perspective. If said manager wants to grow and move up within their company, they need to actively train and develop the people who may be taking their role. Doing this is a win-win scenario because the old manager can focus on their new duties while the new manager can get a feel of their new role. In addition, employee development shows those employees that they are being seen as an investment and not just an expendable. People want to work in environments that value them and respect them. Therefore, if an organization takes the time to properly develop them into efficient and able workers, they will be ready to tackle new roles in the future and continue to grow into their careers while following their aspirations. The portion about retention is important as well. Managers making sure their teams know what they are doing is important, but it needs to be done in a manner that doesn’t hold them back and causes them to be stagnant.
Sharlyn Lauby says
Thanks for the comment Samir.