As managers, team leads, project managers, and supervisors, we have a responsibility to those we lead. And most often than not, the reason we lose them is our own fault. It's a very hard realization to learn that you are the problem and not them. That's not to say that there aren't cases where they are the problem. There's plenty of those too. From my past experience as a developer, leader, co-worker, and designer, here are the biggest reasons that I've seen cause either myself or another great person to leave.

 

1. Recognition

   Not recognizing that the person has done outstanding work is a big turn-off. Especially if you have never recognized their work. Worse yet, taking credit for their work. Just because the project was a huge hit and you were the Project Manager or Team Lead, does not mean that you don't give credit where credit is due. The person definitely feels betrayed, un-important and unmotivated to perform at a high level.

    

2. Loyalty

   Being loyal to your employees is huge. Sticking up for them definitely makes them feel important. And to put yourself on the line for them will make them go the extra mile to thank you. Randy Pausch touched on this during his Last Lecture and explains it much better than I ever could.

    

3. Over-supervision

   This one is easy. Telling an expert developer/coder how to do their job definitely puts them off. They're already good at their job. Probably better than you. They don't need you to tell them how to write a "for" loop. Don't undermine their intelligence. They may need some encouragement, praise, or rewards.

    

4. Passion

   Don't kill their passion. You can't teach someone to be passionate about something. But you can teach them the right techniques and skills. If they're passionate about doing Web Design, making them write Requirements documentation or putting them on Tech Support duty, which they hate, does not make you look good. No matter how great they are at those. If they can't do what they're passionate about for you, they're going to go do it for someone else who does let them do it. Don't lose a great talent to that. Help them get to where they want to be.

    

5. Tools

   This is perhaps the easiest one of all. Try as hard as possible to give them the tools and resources they need to get the job done. I have had several face-palm moments in regards to this one. Simply because the Lead or Manager doesn't have any experience in the field and believes he or she does. Some examples are:

   • • Not updating the Designer's software. Using Adobe Photoshop 7 right now seems a bit strange when CS4 has just been announced. And there are plenty of new features that make it a more powerful and valuable tool.
   • • Not giving them the right tools. Oh boy. Someone once told me that I didn't need Adobe Photoshop or Fireworks because Windows comes with MS Paint and that's how they do all their web graphics. Don't do this!
   • • Giving them the wrong tools. Another person who had "built" websites told us to use Dreamweaver to do our websites. Sure that doesn't sound all bad right? Well, it is when we're a .Net shop. Dreamweaver over Visual Studio. Which would you want to use?

 

If this all sounds like common sense to you, it's because it is. But sometimes we lose track of common sense and do the wrong things because we're seeing everything from a different point of view.

 

What issues have you run across that have caused you to either leave or become un-motivated because of your leadership team?