Turnover happens… especially in today’s work environment. The question might be – are people leaving bosses because they don’t like the boss or are they leaving because the boss has set them up so well for success that they are promoted to more responsibility?

As you may know, I am a University of Alabama fan. I cheer for the Tide each football season regardless of whether we are good or bad – we just happen to have had many good years under Nick Saben.

Since Nick has come in as head coach we have turnover each year with assistant coaches. This doesn’t sound very good, until you look at where these assistant coaches are today. Most of these coaches have gone on to become head coaches themselves or taken promotions with other teams. I’m sure working for Nick Saben, and working in college football in general, is not an easy job but what does Nick do to set his
employees up for success in the future? Let’s look at the potentially controversial leadership strategies used by Nick Saben and ask – Are you willing to take steps that other leaders are not willing to try?

Nick Saben’s 3 Leadership Strategies:

1. Help your star players reach the next level
– How are you supporting your team to get to the next level?
– What conversations are you having with your star contributors about their personal development?

2. Respect instead of criticize your competition
– In your next staff meeting, consider what words you are using to describe the competition to your team

3. Focus on the Inner Scoreboard
– How are you keeping your team focused on what they need to execute daily to achieve longer term results?
– Have you defined what doing a good job looks like on a daily basis?
– Are the expectations so clear that your team can hold each other accountable?

What is your turnover rate? Can you say that your people are leaving due to promotions? If not, you might want to consider a different leadership strategy.