13. The Great Resignation

This year, the term "the Great Resignation" has been increasingly used to describe the explosion in people wanting to change their careers.

As a planet, we're in unprecedented times – and it's no wonder that many teams are going through a tumultuous time with changes never seen before.

If you're anything like me, handling team changes is one of the most challenging aspects of being a manager and leader. I find it hard to even know where to begin on this topic, but I thought I'd share my latest thinking in this episode with the hope it will be valuable to others out there going through similar challenges.

Actions / take aways

• Every change is an opportunity to look at the business – what is going well, what isn't?
• Understand people’s goals and desires and ensure they’re on the right path.
• When someone leaves there can be tremendous opportunity for others on the team to grow into new roles.
• Be clear with yourself on the goals and needs of the company.
• Remember: everyone is on their own journey. You can’t control that! Focus on what you can control – organisation design, encouraging the culture and performance you want to see, leading by example, and making people the hero on their own journey.
• You’re not alone. This stuff is hard. Talk to others and you’ll realise that many others are in the same boat and going through similar challenges.

Links and further reading

• The Great Resignation on Google Trends https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=great resignation
• What is driving the Great Resignation? https://hbr.org/2021/09/who-is-driving-the-great-resignation

Thanks, and see you next time!

P.S. I'm on Twitter https://twitter.com/jamesjgill

Music: Jakarta by Bonsaye

Podcast hosting: Transistor