What Pounds Are You Willing to Lose in Your Profession?

It’s career weight loss time!

This is the month, the time, the season where students, professionals, and corporate executives are thinking about making healthier career choices.  It’s the top of the year, resolutions are made, and the question becomes, what pounds are you willing to lose in your profession?

Here are six pounds most people are willing to shed in their profession:

1. Toxic work environment: There is nothing more dreadful than entering an organization with culture issues that could be very harmful to your productivity and professional growth. Make sure you interview stakeholders, cross-functional leaders, check online company reviews, and ask the right questions to learn more about the environment you’re venturing into. Don’t be so quick to say yes, when you know the information, you’ve learned about the company is screaming “no.” Implore caution and prudence and follow the path the data takes you down.  At least that way you can say, this was a data informed decision.
2. Lack of work, life, balance: Millions of people have obligations outside of their day-to-day job, which means attracting the top talent will require employers to be flexible with working families, young professionals, and everyday workers. No matter what profession, pay, rank or title, people need to have the proper level of work-life balance if companies are seeking to retain top talent.
3. Bad Management: There is no place in the world for bad management. This can be a deal breaker for securing and retaining talent at all levels. Employees are looking for leadership that leans in to help offer solutions, flexibility, trust employees to do the jobs they’re hired to do, listen to employee concerns, move with a sense of urgency to solve problems, inspire, motivate, guide and sponsor employee ideas and causes.  Leadership that is transparent, yet empathic to employee needs and showcases employee skills and greater talents.  Leaders that advocate, recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of their teams.
4. Poor Job Growth: When employees who have worked hard to help build the company see no upward path to advancement, they simply check out or check in somewhere else. Any great company looking to retain top talent will need to carve out opportunities for upward mobility and succession planning for top talent. If there are limited to no career advancement opportunities, don’t expect your employees to be as enthusiastic or highly engaged.
5. Unfair Compensation: It’s important to pay employees a fair wage, based on their tenure, expertise, unique skillset, and value to your company. You risk losing employees that are committed to your brand and will have no problem going to competitors.  Avoid the risk and pay a fair wage.  Equally employees must not accept the first offer in a negotiation, always counteroffer.  The worst the company can say is no.  Remember, you have value, and the skills needed so align yourself with companies willing to pay you what you’re worth.
6. Zero-to-no recognition: Employees want to feel acknowledged by their companies, leaders, peers, stakeholders and customer groups. When there is little-to-no recognition, employees are not motivated to constantly perform.  Recognition might be customized for individuals, but regardless of the industry, it is valued and something employees want, need, and employers should keep top of mind.

Please feel free to share this article with anyone interested in career growth and professional development. Contact us at www.15leader.com or [email protected].  15 Leader, 15Leader!