What Makes Good Employees "Quit" Helps Better Employees "Stay"

According to a February 10, 2009, USA TODAY Snapshot survey*, here are the top 5 reasons why good employees quit:

• 35% -- Unhappiness with management
• 33% -- Limited opportunities for advancement
• 13% -- Lack of recognition
• 13% -- Inadequate salary and benefits
• 1% -- Being bored

Okay, fine. But how many of those "good employees" found the same or similar issues recurring in their next job? My guess: Most of them. Why?

Because life likes to repeat its tests until its lessons are learned!

Now contrary to what you may be thinking, the Lessons-to-be-Learned here are NOT about what CAUSES a boss to fall out of favor with a direct report (35% of the "problem") or HOW COME opportunities for job advancement are so limited (33%), or WHY there's a lack of recognition (13%), or inadequate salary and benefits (13%), etc.

Nay, the Lessons-to-be-Learned are actually quite different. They are:

1. How can you PREVENT such things from happening in the first place? and
2. What steps can you take to better RECOGNIZE, ADDRESS, AND RESOLVE these issues once they start up again?

(To get you thinking in the right direction, let me suggest that it has a LOT to do with knowing what's important -- as in really and truly important -- to you and engaging your boss to work with you in making them more of a reality in your current job.)

That said, what's something you totally know about what's really and truly important to you that your boss seemingly doesn't realize? How might you establish an ongoing dialogue between the two of you on exactly that?

Begin.

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* based on a Robert Half International survey of 150 senior executives