Why are so many companies struggling to keep their best people? It’s not because of salary, benefits, or remote work policies. It’s because of leadership.
People don’t leave companies. They leave bad leaders. The data proves it:
- 82% of employees say they’d stay at a company longer if their leaders showed more understanding.
- 67% of employees quit because they feel unheard and undervalued.
- Poor leadership costs U.S. businesses over $1 trillion in turnover annually.
Leadership self-awareness is the most underrated retention strategy. If leaders don’t understand how they are perceived, they cannot lead effectively. And without strong leadership, teams break down, engagement plummets, and top talent walks out the door.
The Leadership Self-Awareness Gap
Most leaders believe they are self-aware. But research shows only 10% actually are. That means 90% of leaders have blind spots that hurt their teams without even realizing it.
- The Hidden Cost of Low Self-Awareness: When leaders fail to recognize how their communication, decision-making, and leadership style affect others, they unknowingly create disengagement.
- The 5 Voices Framework Fixes This Problem: By identifying their primary leadership voice, leaders gain an accurate picture of their strengths and weaknesses.
- Why Top Performers Leave: Employees want clarity, consistency, and direction. When leaders lack self-awareness, they send mixed signals, create uncertainty, and drive frustration.
How the 5 Voices System Prevents Turnover
- Nurturers – Lose trust when leaders ignore team morale and emotional intelligence. Solution: Create a leadership environment where they feel heard.
- Creatives – Become disengaged when their ideas are dismissed. Solution: Encourage innovative thinking and give them space to explore solutions.
- Guardians – Feel frustrated when decisions lack logic and structure. Solution: Provide clarity and strategic reasoning behind big moves.
- Connectors – Shut down when leaders fail to recognize relationships as strategic assets. Solution: Build buy-in and collaboration early on.
- Pioneers – Lose motivation when there’s no challenge or vision.
Solution
Give them big-picture goals that push them forward. If you don’t understand your own leadership voice, you are losing great people without even realizing it.
3 Steps to Retain Top Talent Using 5 Voices
- Identify Your Leadership Voice. Take the 5 Voices Assessment and get a clear picture of how your leadership style is impacting your team.
- Ask Your Team for Honest Feedback. Your perception of your leadership and your team’s experience of it are often very different.
- Use the 5 Voices as a Common Leadership Language. When every team member understands their own voice and how others communicate alignment and engagement skyrocket.
Retention starts with leadership self-awareness. Ready to keep your best people? Take the Free 5 Voices Assessment today.
