Why Great Employees Quit

I was chatting with one of my dearest friends the other day. She was so frustrated. Let me tee this up for you…. My friend is a SUPER high performing individual. She is a ROCK STAR in her industry. I don’t care if the economy is in the trash can or not – this girl could find a job when a million other people can’t. She’s THAT good.

Her boss told her that she is too passionate and competitive about her work. Her boss doesn’t acknowledge the innovations and successes she brings to her work. Her boss intentionally puts up roadblocks to prevent success. My friend is devastated about the thought of looking for something else but thinks that may be her only alternative at this point. 

You know what was my first thought when my friend was telling me about this? Wow…her boss suffers from an extreme scarcity mindset. She’s intimidated. Rather than applauding my friend’s efforts – her boss deflates the energy and discourages the effort because of a fear that someone else may “rise to the top.” 

If you haven’t read Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, I highly suggest you add this book to your list. In the book, Covey talks about the differences between scarcity and abundance mindset. Essentially, someone who has a scarcity mindset thinks they can only have “so much,” and those who get more only means there’s now less for everyone else. They don’t find joy in other people’s successes. They have a hard time giving recognition to people who helped aid in an organization’s success.

Those people who have an abundance mindset feel there’s plenty for everyone. They find joy with the team’s success and recognize others for their hard work in the process too. Overall, these people are generally very positive and uplifting…and the result is a highly productive and engaged business.

We all suffer from falling into a scarcity mindset on occasion. It’s human nature. It’s normal. But, there are a few things you can do to be intentional about your mindset. 

I have four tips on how to develop an abundance mindset. 

1. Let people know how much you value them. Let me tell you, kind words go a LONG way. We all want to know that the work we do is appreciated and valued. 
2. Choose to find the silver linings. When something doesn’t go as planned, try to identify the opportunities versus going down the rabbit hole of despair.
3. Surround yourself with positive people. Positivity is contagious. Be mindful of those people who tend to drag you down and limit your interactions with them.
4. Give more than you get. I love what John Maxwell says about this: Be a river – not a reservoir. When you’re generous (and you let that generosity flow like the river) with your time or resources, not only does it make you feel good…it tends to come back to you ten-fold.