“Good employees don’t quit their job, they quit their manager.”
This widely known idiom has found its way into leadership development courses with increasing popularity. While said with multiple variations, our very own Sam Loshaks version is my all time favorite.
“Fish stink from the head.”
At the time I didn’t fully comprehend this “Samism”. We weren't discussing my performance, or that of another leader. It may have simply been a moment in time where I was blessed with being in the right place to have wisdom bestowed upon me.
As time went on and I developed and grew my leadership skills, I began to understand the true meaning of both sentiments. If your leadership sucks, your employees will suck, your culture will suck and your whole organization will suck more than a Plecostomus.
I have been spoiled, maybe slightly blinded, by being fortunate to be with ETE for the past eleven years. Sam instilled in his fellow leaders how to be great and it trickled down, it still lives within us.
My eyes were peeled wide open when I caught a glimpse into what my husband endures (rather we should say endured, not to blow the story). His direct boss was nowhere to be found hours on end. Messages would get read, but not responded to. Calls for help left unanswered but yet he was expected to jump in head first to fix another division's issue when beckoned. He struggled with hovering clinic managers he didn’t report to watching his every move. Upper management would arrive and the entire staff would tip toe around, fearful of doing or saying the wrong thing. Breathing wrong could get you a one way ticket to your superior's office.
Every morning he would head out of the door with a downtrodden, sullen vibe, mumbling, “Off to hell”.
He loved what the job entailed, the patients, the trouble shooting, the problem solving, but management was destroying his passion. It was time to move on.
While there is a long list of toxic management styles, here I will focus on the four that I witnessed destroying my better half.
Bryan no longer has to go to hell everyday. He was head hunted by a company in a similar industry that requires a person with his skill set. He is wanted, appreciated, and communicated with. It may only be day two, but hearing his new boss talk to him yesterday gave me all the feels. I sat and listened and mouthed the words, “I like this guy, he’s a real boss”.
So here’s to a new chapter in our lives, one without bullies or nightmares. One that has great promise. Bryan didn't leave the job, he left the management.