Managing Sticky Situations at Work

Chapter 6Sticky Situations with SubordinatesA Gallup report says, ‘‘Employees don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.’’1 The Gallup organization learned this fact after four decades ofresearch and surveys of workers in all kinds of industry. Brad Gilbreathin an article in Work & Stress discovered that bosses make a significantcontribution to employee stress. He confirmed the Gallup researchwith a sample of 167 men and women from different kinds of organizations.2 If you have a bad, frustrating boss, you leave your job even ifit is a good job. With the costs for hiring and training new people soaringeach year, organizations are looking for ways to retain employees.They pay people like Gallup to tell them what factors keep peoplehappy enough to stay in their jobs.Daniel Goleman et al. came up with a catchy concept called EmotionalIntelligence based on an emotional quotient, or EQ. 3 He discoveredthat managers with a high retention rate also have a highEQ, meaning they score high on compassion, on listening, and on caringabout others. In fact, if you think back on the managers you’veworked for in your life, what characteristics did they have? Here are afew I recall: good listeners, positive attitude about my work, challengedme but not beyond my limits, supportive, and enthusiastic.