2022 is going to be a big year. It has to be – transformational results are high on the shareholder agenda everywhere, and without your B-Suite, these goals will fail.
Sadly, in the past week alone, I have had 5 of my high-performing B-Suite clients talk about resigning, putting some pretty major deliverables immediately at risk for their organisation who are – at this point – oblivious to the issue.
So let me help you to avoid the nasty shock that those employers are about to receive. There are three patterns emerging that your senior leaders need to urgently avoid.
Not enough care factor from senior leadership – these leaders’ feelings range from a lack of feedback, to feeling taken for granted, all the way to feeling taken advantage of. The solution is as simple as telling them you notice and appreciate their efforts, or checking in with them if they’re sick. You’d be surprised how many C-Suite leaders don’t bother, and it’s easily fixed if we just remember our manners.
Tiny tipping points – a long-simmering sense of unsatisfaction (not NOT satisfied, just not FULLY satisfied) has suddenly bubbled over into “I quit!” rage-levels. The final straw is always insignificant if taken in isolation, but it’s never that straw that matters, it’s the thousand tiny tipping points that came before that. C-Suite leaders are used to their B-Suite grumbling a bit but ultimately getting on with it. This time they won’t: they don’t want to and they don’t have to. So think twice with every single straw you load onto that camel’s back, just in case this one is the last one.
Cry for help – B-Suite leaders expect a lot of themselves, and comparatively little of others – until they have no more to give. Then they look up and expect more from the top, and can be quickly unforgiving when they don’t get it. C-Suite leaders might see this suddenly demanding or recalcitrant attitude as a sudden sense of entitlement or naivete but it’s actually a symptom of them reaching the last straw. You can see it as an attack on your leadership and counter-attack that they need to mature or take it on the chin, or you can see it as a cry for help. And it’ll be the last cry you hear before it’s too late, so listen up.
Don’t make the great resignation a reality in your leadership team by making the mistake of ignoring the basics. In a market like this, you’ll regret it more than they will!
Rebecca is Australia’s pre-eminent advocate for B-suite leadership – the expert in developing hi-impact B-Suite leadership at both a team and individual level.
Speak to Rebecca about:
- Individual and group coaching
- Team effectiveness and training
- People & Culture Advisory
You can reach her on rebecca.houghton@boldhr.com.au
