Engage Your Emotional Intelligence to Improve Staff Retention
Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled.
– Anne M. Mulcahy
INTRO
Most likely, you’ve heard or read about how employees don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses. One of the most fundamental aspects of leadership is hiring the best people and retaining them. But retention requires more than compensation, benefits, and rewards. Employees need to know and feel they are valued not only for what they bring to the team, but for who they are as people. Consider this Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Pyramid as it relates to employee retention to ensure you are a leader who not only hires talented people, but creates an inclusive and compassionate culture they want to remain a part of.
OBJECTIVES
- Evaluate yourself for where you feel you usually operate with employees in terms of EQ
- Brainstorm ways to begin more consistently and naturally leading from a place of compassion to promote a workplace and culture that retains staff
REFLECTION
- Consider the EQ Retention Pyramid
- Where do you feel you usually operate with employees in terms of EQ?
- Are you consistent? Or does the day or person influence where you land on the EQ Pyramid?
- Where do you feel you usually operate with employees in terms of EQ?
- Consider (recent) experiences of retaining and/or losing employees.
- What influenced their decision to stay or go? Could losses have been prevented?
- Relevant to the EQ Pyramid, how did you interact with each employee? Did you treat them all the same or not?
- Try thinking about how they may have felt they were being treated—in terms of the EQ Pyramid—both by you, the leadership team, staff, and the school culture at large. Do you notice any connection between that and their decision to stay or leave?
- Brainstorm ways to begin more consistently and naturally leading from a place of compassion to promote a workplace and culture that retains staff.
- Plan one practice or goal for the coming school year. Be sure your plans are tangible and practical.
TIPS
- If you feel comfortable, consider discussing with a trusted friend, colleague, confidant, etc. An outside perspective can be helpful and enlightening (especially if you’re feeling stuck).
- This is not to say that sympathy and empathy are “bad” or shouldn’t be employed. They are important and should be extended when appropriate. However, think of them as building blocks of compassion which is the ultimate goal.
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