Perhaps you know the famous comic strip “Love is …”, created in the 1960s by New Zealand cartoonist Kim Casali. The cartoons portrayed the content of love letters she drew for her future husband, Roberto Casali. But what would such a comic look like if employees created it as “My boss is …”?
If we ask Google about this topic, we get the following or similar autocomplete suggestions for My boss is …
- a phony
- a control freak
- incompetent
- a narcissist
- toxic
- a tyrant
- a hothead
- lazy
- unfair
- incapable
Not a single positive trait appears among the top 10. A clear sign of the need for behavior coaching for leaders.
As an entrepreneur, executive, and consultant, I long failed to see the need for such coaching. My personal focus was always on content: advising people and organizations from that perspective and helping them move forward with inspiring ideas and well-thought-out concepts.
Afterward—if necessary—I actively supported implementation to ensure that these concepts were firmly anchored in the organization. Yet things often failed to change to the degree I had planned. Inspiring visions and strategies in particular rarely resonated with employees. Why? Over time, I realized that a key reason for this sobering gap lay in the behavior of the leaders themselves.
The impact of leadership behavior in facts
We all know the saying that employees don’t leave companies, they leave managers. Over the years, studies and statistics have confirmed how crucial leadership behavior is for employee retention:
- 70 % of people change jobs because of their direct supervisor (Gallup).
- 92 % of employees would stay if their manager showed more empathy (Businesssolver).
- 89 % of managers mistakenly believe their former employees quit because of money (Leigh Branham: The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave).
- 43 % of over 2,000 employees cite company culture as the main reason for seeking a new job (Hays).
- Employees empowered in their strengths and abilities by their employer — and even more by their leader — are 15 % less likely to quit (Gallup).
- 76 % of workers look for a new job if they feel unappreciated (Lifeworks).
- 79 % say their supervisors don’t care about employee satisfaction (One4All).
- 65 % would rather replace their boss than receive a pay raise (O.C. Tanner Learning Group, Performance Accelerated, 2017).
Frequent job changes are costly for companies as well. A study by the National Business Research Institute shows that turnover can cost up to 150 % of an employee’s annual salary, including job ads, headhunter fees, and interview time.
Behavior-based leadership coaching is essential
Anyone who still thinks employee satisfaction depends only on money or flexibility should read these figures again or do their own research.
It is clear that behavior-based leadership coaching, such as that developed by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, is now and will remain essential.
His Stakeholder Centered Coaching method has two special features:
- The success of a leader’s behavioral change is assessed by the people they lead, who are actively involved in the coaching process.
- The coach is paid only if employees confirm significant improvement in the leader’s behavior at the end of the process.
Because of this “payment for results” model, Goldsmith qualifies his clients in advance. He works only with those he believes are motivated and ready for change. In his own words: “Have you ever tried to change the behavior of a successful adult who had no interest in changing? How much luck did you have? Probably none!”
Every leader can change their behavior
In short: every leader can successfully change their behavior and improve significantly. The starting point is insight and motivation — recognizing that change is both useful and necessary for one’s own career, for the team, and for the organization’s success. Such a process also fosters personal growth.
As a coach, I work only with leaders who sincerely commit to change and are convinced it will help them become better leaders. Anything else is a waste of time and energy — for the leader and for me.
So next time you wonder how your employees would complete the sentence “My boss is …”, ask yourself how you can help ensure that this sentence ends positively.
In my book The Hero’s Journey of a Leader – How to Become the Best Version of Yourself as a Leader, I share many practical tips for improving leadership behavior.