Reflecting on Exit Interviews
Most companies have some manner of exit process that often includes an exit interview or opportunity for those leaving to provide feedback. Often this exit process includes a conversation with HR providing a reason for your departure. Most managers will ask why or where you are going but often do not seek the real answer or the environment is not one that is conductive for that to be revealed. Statistical data tells us that people leave jobs 99% of the time due to immediate or second level leadership. However, it is also known this is rarely what is communicated formerly by an employee at their departure. The reason most often communicated at this juncture are that they are moving on for a better challenge, more pay, better benefits, or even to “do something different.” While this certainly makes the process easier it is doing the company and the leaders involved a disservice.
While it is possible that the answers given above due play into an employee’s decision and in some rare cases (1%) may have been the root cause for them leaving or moving to another team. The truth of the matter is 99% of the time it starts with a disagreement of immediate leadership or a leadership need that is not met. There of course are occasions where a good leader encourages an employee to move to another role as part of their development. Think back at the times you have left a job. What was it that first started to make you look for that new opportunity? Was it the pay? Or were you unhappy already so when you started looking you looked for more pay or something different to do etc.
So do your best to create an atmosphere that allows employees to tell you what really started them looking. Seek out critical feedback about yourself and the leadership team. I always explain that it is very important for me to get critical feedback from employees because at times it is the only way I know of something that I am doing wrong or could do better. I make absolutely sure they know I want this feedback. I then ask them what was working well with the team and what was not. What are the employee’s reasons for leaving? And most importantly what could I do better and what did I do well. Get this feedback if you do not your just hurting yourself and the organization you are working for.
Almost if not more important than getting the feedback is doing something with it. When provided critical feedback seek other opinions on the topic. Clarify what was meant if possible. Reflect on what was said. What can you do to shore up the weakness or pull on a strength of yours to overcome the challenge. Use critical feedback as a lesson learned and do not waste it. If you find yourself receiving the same critical feedback over and over again about your management style or ability you should really start to question if you’re in the right role. At the same time there will be times where and employee just does not get along with you or makes comments that are not true upon exit. These should be rare cases and not common place. Feedback in these situations is valuable as well because somewhere in there is a lesson to be learnt that may not be about your leadership ability but maybe your hiring process or some other factor that played into it. Take all exit feedback seriously and do not waste it.
I had a manager working for me that continually got complaints of micro managing and not taking care of employee basic needs. Coaching of the manager would get his acknowledgement that he understood he needed to improve on these areas. He worked on these weaknesses but it never entirely went away. Though he improved it never got to the level were the behavior disappeared completely. In my last developmental conversations with him it was clear he felt like he no longer wanted to be a people manager. However, he had to make that decision himself. I worked him to create a development plan for the next year. However before we could do so he needed to decide which role would make him happier. We talked about the two roles and I explained the differences I saw in the developmental plans depending on which direction he took. Doing what you are good at tends to make one happier and in most cases is the right career path to take.
I was able to have this conversation with this manager and come up with a strategy because I listened and I had an open and honest relationship with him. What did I listen too? Critical feedback from peers, Exit interviews, and skip level one on ones with his employees. While some people might consider this tattling or bad form. The truth is it helped me help him in the long run. And that made everyone happier and as such more successful.
I have made my share of mistakes and listened to my share of critical feedback on myself both as a people manager and an individual contributor. I take this feedback to heart and work on improving with the hope that I will not make the same mistake again and that perhaps my experiences will help me help others. Exit interviews and critical feedback are important and organizations should make sure to listen and then act on them in a logical and rational manner.