Article by Deb Kloeppel, CASY-MSCCN
As founder and CEO of two major nonprofit organizations that have earned eight years of successful growth and solvency, I’ve experienced my share of unhappy people along the way.
I’m a firm believer that when it’s time to leave a job, you should do just that-leave without drama or damage to the mission of an organization that placed a great deal of trust and faith in your abilities.
You leave the boss-not the job. Let’s admit it: People who leave jobs they love are actually leaving a boss they don’t like or respect. It’s that simple.
Truth be told, storming out of a job or telling your boss exactly what you think of them through impulsive actions never gains the respect from someone you’re seeking to impress. (Yes, I believe disgruntled workers who do that are actually trying to impress the boss they dislike through passive-aggressive
behavior.)
Corporate recruiters are trained to detect passive-aggressive workers. Due to
rising death tolls in the workplace during the late 1990s, the Department of Labor began to study the boss-worker relationship.
The results from this study clearly indicated that passive-aggressive workers display a need for constant accolades and validation from their superiors and possessed a credit-monger mentality.
In simple terms: Passive-aggressive workers are more likely to become disgruntled workers, due their obsessive need for attention-be it good attention or bad attention.
The Psychology of Disgruntled Workers
A myriad emotions can work against the manager-worker relationship. When
jealousy, ego and passive-aggressive work styles start ruling the work environment, it’s time to separate this particular worker from the team, from the mission and (especially) from their boss.
There isn’t therapy enough to fix the damage to an organization in the midst of a full-blown disgruntle attack. All a boss can do is hold tight to the rest of the team and shield them from the drama.
People do get mad. And they do quit. An estimated 14 million Americans are still out of work, and yet millions have resigned from good jobs because of unhappiness and a lack of fulfillment. If you’re a small business owner or a boss, you can:
Seek ways to let your employees know they matter.
Acknowledge their individual motivations and aspirations. That could make
the difference between losing a good employee and keeping them.
Admit you are not perfect.
As founder and CEO of CASY-MSCCN, I do not strive for perfection or adoration. I strive to be fair. That’s it, just fair. In fairness comes all things that are legal, ethical and truthful. Operating in fairness makes you a tough boss, one that’s “kind with a spine.”
When you are fair, you have no regrets. I value strong leaders who know what they want and fully understand how to go after their success in the confines of fair play and fair competition, without malice or regret.
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