Whether you’re leading a Fortune 500 company or tending a small church, you’ll experience staff turnover. Sometimes it’s small. Other times it’s a major blow.
One team member leaves and then another. Then another and the more.
It’s like a dam broke and the water cleared out everyone you thought would always be there.
Image by Pierre Guinoiseau
When times like this come, you may feel like you’re in a bad place. That may be the case. Then again, it may be the perfect position to be in.
Oh No! My Team Has Left!
This may be on of the scariest things a leader can face. Watching his team walk out the door, one after the other. This sight is enough to make any leader’s heart sink.
You thought you had commitment. You thought your team was engaged. You thought things were moving forward.
You
Were
Wrong
Something had been stirring within the team that caused a mass exodus from your organization. Something wasn’t right and the team recognized this. Something caused these people to leave.
When something like this happens, the key to survival is to figure out what caused your team to leave and resolve to fix it.
What To Do When Your Team Leaves
You have a couple of choices when you realize you’re standing alone and everyone has left you. Let’s talk about the right choices to make when you have to reassemble a team.
Find out what went wrong: There’s something wrong when a major portion of your team decides to leave at the same time. A message is being sent.
That message is there’s something wrong with the organization and you better fix it.
If you’re able to, get together with some of your former team members and ask questions. Dig deep and let them be honest.
Listen to their feedback and make changes.
Seek out new team members: Now that you’re alone, it’s time to begin reassembling a team that you can lead.
Look for people who are willing to follow you. Get some of those guys to join the team.
Then begin looking for people who are willing to challenge you.
They want to support you but they’re not willing to blindly follow you. Rather, they challenge you and push you to be better.
The Bible tells us that iron sharpens iron. I think this is where the supporters who challenge you come into play. Their words sting but they also help you see where you may be going wrong.
You want a mixture of followers and challengers on your team. Make sure your team isn’t lopsided.
Listen to your new team: The biggest reason I have seen for mass exoduses from an organization has been because they felt they weren’t being listened to. And being listened to is a huge thing.
People like knowing that their voice is heard. They like knowing others are heeding their advice.
Take time to listen to those you’re leading. You might be surprised at how this impacts morale.
When you lose a lot of team members, it’s time to take an inward look.
Don’t ignore the signs that there’s something wrong with your leadership. Rather, use it as a time to get right and rebuild a strong team.
The signs are there. Are you listening?
Question: Have you seen a mass exodus from an organization? What could have been done to stop it? Let’s talk about it in the comments section below.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.