In today’s dynamic job market, the age-old saying “people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers” rings truer than ever. Unlike most millennials, I have had relatively few career changes over the last two decades. Like most millennials, the career changes I have had were primarily caused by a series of events that happened over time that made me realize my value and skills might be better suited elsewhere.
After interviewing hundreds of people over the last decade, and listening to their answers to the question, “What would make you stay at your current job?”, I have learned we all share a common theme when it comes to leaving for “greener pastures”. The patterns are clear, and the reasons are surprisingly consistent. While the Great Resignation may have brought these issues into sharper focus, the fundamental reasons why top performers leave their organizations haven’t changed.
Below I share five reasons A-Players leave organizations and how leaders can keep them.
1. Lack of Honesty or Integrity
One of my favorite business tools I learned about in my youth is the Rotary 4 Way Test. For every business decision you make, it asks you to evaluate four things: Truth, Fairness, Goodwill, Benefits to Everyone. When it comes to employee relationships, applying this test to decisions made within a department is critical.
One of the quickest ways to lose good employees is for them to lose trust is you or in your ability to lead them. As a leader, your actions always speak louder than your words. Trust takes time to build and earn but only seconds to be lost.I remember interviewing a lady once who told me she had been hired to build a department. After jumping through hoops, putting in long hours because budgets wouldn’t allow her to add staff, and reaching the pinnacle point where it was time to scale the team, company leadership hired her “replacement” without involving her. While they were secretly interviewing candidates, they had her interviewing candidates to build her team. Then, out of the blue, they introduced her new boss and told her to cease the selection process.
I interviewed another candidate who had attended meeting after meeting with his boss where he was told, “If you’ll just do this, this will happen.” He would put in the extra hours to make the impossible come to light, only to show up the next week and learn his boss had changed directions and no longer cared about the project and had a new initiative to tackle. Worse yet, he would show up prepared for the meeting, and his boss would have an entirely different agenda to discuss. This went on for months, until he finally decided to throw in the towel.
A third employee that I interviewed shared how her boss had promised her a percentage of profits in exchange for help on a side business. As time went on, he told her she was his business partner. When it came time to “pay up” at the end of the year, there was nothing to pay her. She was told she “misunderstood” the business agreement.
Unfortunately, stories like these are all too common in interviews today. Employees with great track records and stellar performance histories find themselves questioning their worth when leadership fails to demonstrate basic integrity. The solution? Leaders must recognize that transparency and honesty aren’t just buzzwords – they’re the foundation of trust. Make promises you can keep, involve your team in decisions that affect them, and if circumstances change, communicate openly about why.
2. Leaders Unable to Give Direction
I once spoke with a brilliant product manager who likened working with his previous leader to “trying to navigate a ship with a broken compass in thick fog.” His leader would constantly shift priorities without clear reasoning, leaving the team to guess which direction they should row. Another candidate described her former supervisor as “a wish-washer” – someone who couldn’t commit to a decision and would rather let the team flounder than take a definitive stance.
The reality is, A-Players don’t need micromanagement, but they do need clarity. They thrive when given clear objectives and the autonomy to achieve them. Leaders must develop the ability to set clear expectations, define success metrics, and then trust their team to execute. If you can’t articulate where you’re going, how can you expect your team to help you get there?
3. Unfair Pay
Let’s be honest – money matters. But what I’ve learned through countless interviews is that “unfair pay” isn’t just about the number on the paycheck. It’s about perceived value and equity. One person I interviewed left his position not because he was underpaid compared to market rates, but because he discovered a less experienced colleague was making 40% more for the same role.
Another person I interviewed had severed as the office manager for a non-profit. She had a college degree and managed all finance, payroll, HR, and communications for the organization. She was making slightly more than the maintenance director, though both were significantly underpaid compared to market value. When the maintenance director left, the non-profit had difficulties filling his position. They finally hired someone without a college degree and offered him $25,000 more than the office manager was making plus gave him a substantial bonus at the end of the year. The office manager requested a similar compensation adjustment, but the organization couldn’t pay her more. She resigned a few weeks later.
Leaders need to regularly benchmark their compensation packages and be proactive about adjusting salaries before their A-Players start looking elsewhere.
4. Lack of Communication
“I found out about major changes affecting my team through the company newsletter.” Unfortunately, I’ve heard variations of this statement more times than I can count. A-Players don’t just want to know what’s happening – they want to understand why. They want to be part of the conversation, not just recipients of decisions.
I remember speaking with a senior manager who left her role after five years because she felt like she was “working in a black box.” Despite consistently exceeding targets, she never received feedback about how her work contributed to larger company goals or what opportunities lay ahead. Communication isn’t just about regular meetings or email updates – it’s about creating a dialogue where employees feel heard and understood.
5. Inability to Grow
Perhaps the most common theme I’ve encountered is the frustration of hitting a ceiling. A-Players are, by nature, growth-oriented. They want to learn, develop new skills, and take on increasing responsibility. One candidate put it perfectly: “I wasn’t leaving my job; I was leaving my stagnation.”
The most effective leaders I’ve met understand that professional development isn’t a nice-to-have – it’s essential for retention. They create opportunities for their team members to stretch their abilities, take on new challenges, and develop leadership skills. They invest in training, mentor relationships, and cross-functional projects that allow their A-Players to expand their expertise.
The bottom line? Keeping your best talent isn’t about fancy perks or office amenities. It’s about creating an environment where integrity is valued, direction is clear, compensation is fair, communication flows freely, and growth is encouraged. As leaders, we must remember that A-Players have options. Our job isn’t just to hire them – it’s to create compelling reasons for them to stay and thrive.
