Bad Managers and Top Performers

According to a recent survey conducted by Robert Half International, bad managers get the blame for most defections at U.S. companies; even though senior executives profess that employee retention is their No. 1 concern.

When polled by Robert Half International, senior executives cited unhappiness with management as the primary reason for losing top performing employees. These same managers listed limited opportunities for advancement and lack of recognition as the next most important reasons for the defection of top performers.

Surprisingly, inadequate salary was cited by only 13 percent of the executives as a prime reason for the exit of execptional employees.

There are only so many superstars available to all departments of U.S. companies. In the selling organization, defection of sales superstars should be particularly worrisome for senior executives. Like all superstars, there aren’t enough top performing sales professionals to go around, and they are rarely looking to peform their magic under bad managers.

This reality makes it crucial that senior managers not allow bad managers to drive away top talent. The fact the senior managers are often the cause of top performer defections is a topic for another day.