Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

I Quit But Didn't Tell You

I Quit But Didn't Tell You

Most people initially begin their work tenures as engaged employees. They come to work, wanting to give 110 percent. They’re passionate about what they’re doing and want to become a significant part of the organization. But effectively selecting engaged employees is necessary but not sufficient to achieve Passionate Performance. Even the most engaged employee can have his passion for work diffused if his leader doesn’t know how to ignite Passionate Performance.
.
Our world of work is largely influenced by our direct leader. If I work in a crummy place but my boss is terrific, then I feel good about work and give everything I have to my team. On the contrary, I might work for a world-class organization, but my boss is not so hot. As hard as I might try, it becomes very difficult for me to give 110% to the team. Bottom line - we all work for people not companies… and employees generally leave people, not companies.

As a leader, the challenge is that an employee departure is only the most visible, and final phase of disengagement. It’s a gradual process. It’s more like a dimmer switch than an on – off switch” that regulates our engagement. The danger in this gradual process is the interim phases –the ones I call “I quit but forgot to tell you”. It’s there where disengagement is a silent killer… a cancer that is multiplying under the skin of your team.

The landmark Gallup study estimated the annual cost of disengaged employees was $300 billion… that’s billion with a ‘B’! As this survey, and others, have found most employees are not engaged at work. Their bodies may show up every day, but their minds and hearts are not. If Passionate Performance ignites the light for your team to follow, disengaged team members can create a slippery slope toward the dark side.

Think of the last time you had to deal with a wait person who made it crystal clear they had more important things to do than serve you. How did you get this impression? Possibly because it took forever for them to come to take your order…even longer for them to bring your food. In the meantime, you were in need of a drink refill and, after looking around for a moment, discovered your wait person has vanished into thin air…or to the back room or outside for a smoke.

Finishing your meal without anything to drink, you waited for the check until you had to leave and, making your way to the hostess station, pleaded for your tab so you could get to your next appointment.

If you’ve remembered a similar situation, you probably didn’t have to think much farther back than last week.

That’s where our challenge as leaders comes in. The minute…the very second we see an engaged employee teetering on the brink of becoming disengaged, that’s the time we need to act…not tomorrow or the next day, but right then. Look for a relationship that is disintegrating. We might not see a particular team member around the office as much, their once enthusiastic spirit disappears and the only time they will talk is when you call a meeting. In fact, that once vibrant relationship diminishes to the point that neither party is getting their needs met.

When an employee’s needs are met, they will be motivated to help those who meet their needs. When their needs are not met, they become frustrated, out of control, unfocused and disconnected – in a word, disengaged.

We all have these basic human needs and they have remained the same, in spite of the tornadic changes of today’s business environment. Yes, times have changed, our world has changed and the ways we do business have changed, but people have not.

To become a more engaging leader, make it a priority to get to know your employees. By knowing who they are, as peoples, you can better fulfill their needs to keep them fully engaged. If you can see your employees as people, you can identify six basic needs – three emotional and three intellectual.


Intellectual (Mind) Needs Emotional (Heart) Needs
* Achievement * Purpose
* Intimacy * Autonomy
* Mastery * Appreciation


As you study these needs, you’ll see they are also interdependent. For example, to engage the hearts of your employees, you’ll need to fulfill all three of the emotional needs…and the same is true to engage their minds – you’ll need to fulfill all of their intellectual needs.

Therefore, achieving Passionate Performance is a two-sided challenge: emotional and intellectual. To be successful, you must be able to engage the hearts and the minds of your employees.

By encouraging Passionate Performance, you’ll find the heart and mind must work together. Engaged minds build employee performance and engaged hearts ignite their passion.


Here’s to conquering your competition with Passionate Performance!





I Quit But Didnt Tell You - To learn more about this author, visit Lee Colan's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback

To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

About The Author


Lee Colan
(Visit Lee's Website) Lee J. Colan, Ph.D. is President of The L Group, Inc. (www.theLgroup.com). Lee is a leadership advisor, energizing speaker and author of 10 rapid-read books designed for an information-rich, time-poor world. His best seller is Sticking to It: The Art of Adherence. Register for Lee's popular and practical e-newsltter at www.theLgroup.com or call 972-250-9989.

Lee Colan is a Gold author on EvanCarmichael.com
About The Author

View Author Blog
View Author Blog

View Author Video
View Author Video

Free Downloads


Lee Colan's

Complete
List Of
Leadership
Articles

Name
Email
If you enjoyed this article, get Lee Colan's Complete List of Leadership Articles For FREE!

More Lee Colan
The Need to Achieve
Control Your Inputs
Think BIG A Lesson from a Little One
The Power of a Quotation
Seek and You Shall Find
Rituals The Fabric of a Highperforming Team
Choose Your View
A Moment to Change
Finish Strong
100 Commitment
Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
John Power  
Staging Diva  
Linda Richardson  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video

Business Opportunities
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"

How to Start An Online Business

Click Here To Learn More
Business Opportunities



Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
Maslow For Entrepreneurs Icon Maslow For Entrepreneurs
How To Work Icon How To Work
Disciplines of Success Icon Disciplines of Success
Making It Happen Icon Making It Happen
Free SEO Report Icon Free SEO Report
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
The Top 10 GTD Times Posts - Best Posts for Productivity
The Top 10 GTD Times Posts
Best Posts for Productivity
 
Top 50 Franchising Blogs
Top 50 Franchising Blogs
Top 50 Franchising Blogs
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
Isokan Asoro Benin City, Nigeria,
Isokan Asoro
Benin City, Nigeria
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Adam and Matthew Toren , $200k to $3.4 Mil in 3 Years
Adam and Matthew Toren
$200k to $3.4 Mil in 3 Years
Brian Scudamore, $200k to $8 Mil in 5 years
Brian Scudamore
$200k to $8 Mil in 5 years
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
Richard Branson, Virgin Group
Richard Branson
Virgin Group
Ted Turner, TBS
Famous Entrepreneurs - Complete List

Entrepreneur Advice
Zig Ziglar, See You At The Top
Zig Ziglar
See You At The Top
Tom Peters, In Search Of Excellence
Tom Peters
In Search Of Excellence
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     How to Find the Right Words Every Time
By Melinda Copp
     Get Published: Three Secrets of the New York Publishing World
By Melinda Copp
     Ghosting On the Job; How to Capture Someone Else’s Style in Writing
By Melinda Copp

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More Information