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In partnership with Purdue University, USA
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Introduction to Leadership and management

The art of perfecting

Leadership and Management Abilities

Training Module Notes

© Copyright 2023
No part of these notes may be reproduced or copied, nor may these notes be loaned, nor transmitted to any
other person, without the express written permission of Nsanje Hills Training Institute (NHTI)

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT – LESSON ONE (1)

__________________________________________________________________________________________
 Common causes of high labour turnover in organisations

 Manager – boss (person in charge), director, executive, administrator, supervisor. A

manager is someone who controls resources and expenditures (director; managing
director). TROD -Trainer, reporter, organiser, director.
 Leader – fore runner, frontrunner, spearhead, trailblazer, groundbreaker. A leader is a
person who rules (instructs) or guides (controls, directs) or inspires (encourages,
stimulates, stirs, instigates) others.
A bad carpenter [always] blames his tools’, a practice which is related to our subject of
discussion. A manager would always blame his subordinates for leaving an organisation. On
the other hand, the employee would always point an accusing finger at the boss. The truth of
the matter is that employees leave organisations not because they are no longer interested
in the entity, but instead are ‘running away’ from a bad boss.

Speaking from experience, ‘Employees don’t leave Companies; they ‘leave Managers.’

The question is why do good employees leave companies? In other words, why do good
employees quit their jobs? There could be many reasons, but let’s look at few of them.

i) Not feeling appreciated

You may value your employees as important assets (tools) to your company, but that is not
going to keep them around. Remember that a tool can become blunt and henceforth replaced
for a sharper one - not unless you also make them feel valued. Avoid paying your people
poorly. A good salary, a raise and/or bonus, is a good way to show your employees that they’re
appreciated. It’s just that other concerns, like motivation and trust, can be even more
important.
ii) Stuck in a rut
Some employees find focusing on what they already know, day in and day out, comforting.
For others, perhaps most, it can be, if not a nightmare, then an obvious sign that they must
start looking for another job. There are several ways to combat this. You could, for example,
allow employees to handle different aspects of your operations, and have them tackle
different tasks and explore new workflows.
iii) Office politics
It’s not just the routine or the ‘monotonous and boring’ daily chore that gets employees to
leave. Office politics, especially of the back-stabbing kind, will do that just as effectively. Of
course, some employees celebrate, and even thrive, in office politics, but those are not the
kind of employees you want to keep. Rather, it’s the silently productive ones that focus on
their work, who you want to protect. For that, you need to build an open environment, one
that fosters collaboration, and where the way to get ahead is to prove your worth to the rest
of your team and your manager, by working harder or smarter than the rest — as opposed to
playing petty office games and going behind people’s backs.
iv) Over-working
Frequent and impossible deadlines are another sure-fire way to get employees looking to
jump ship. While the occasional overtime when there’s an especially important project might
be justified, when extreme demands become the norm, morale and employee retention
suffer. If the above situation is business as usual for your company, you might want to
reconsider your management style. It surely wouldn’t hurt to have your managers go through
a leadership training programme. It’s not hard to maintain well-balanced office hours without
reducing productivity. It’s all about working smarter, not harder. In addition to the above
besides, beyond some point, all you’re getting out of keeping people for long hours is subpar
or substandard work (or, worse, people merely pretending to work).
v) No clear progress paths
Employees – and especially good ones – don’t just want a job — they want a career. If they’re
not going to find that in your company, they’ll start asking around for their next opportunity.
Keeping people for years in the same position, with no clear career advancement path, makes
them feel trapped and unappreciated. You should offer your employees a path forward from
early on, informing them about possible career opportunities during their initial onboarding
process and helping those that are worth of the move along that path.
i) Not feeling appreciated

You may value your employees as important assets (tools) to your company, but that is not going to
keep them around. Remember that a tool can become blunt and henceforth replaced for a sharper
one - not unless you also make them feel valued. Avoid paying your people poorly. A good salary, a
raise and/or bonus, is a good way to show your employees that they’re appreciated. It’s just that
other concerns, like motivation and trust, can be even more important.

ii) Stuck in a rut

Some employees find focusing on what they already know, day in and day out, comforting. For
others, perhaps most, it can be, if not a nightmare, then an obvious sign that they must start looking
for another job. There are several ways to combat this. You could, for example, allow employees to
handle different aspects of your operations, and have them tackle different tasks and explore new
workflows.

iii) Office politics

It’s not just the routine or the ‘monotonous and boring’ daily chore that gets employees to leave.
Office politics, especially of the back-stabbing kind, will do that just as effectively. Of course, some
employees celebrate, and even thrive, in office politics, but those are not the kind of employees you
want to keep. Rather, it’s the silently productive ones that focus on their work, who you want to
protect. For that, you need to build an open environment, one that fosters collaboration, and where
the way to get ahead is to prove your worth to the rest of your team and your manager, by working
harder or smarter than the rest — as opposed to playing petty office games and going behind
people’s backs.

iv) Over-working

Frequent and impossible deadlines are another sure-fire way to get employees looking to jump ship.
While the occasional overtime when there’s an especially important project might be justified, when
extreme demands become the norm, morale and employee retention suffer. If the above situation is
business as usual for your company, you might want to reconsider your management style. It surely
wouldn’t hurt to have your managers go through a leadership training programme. It’s not hard to
maintain well-balanced office hours without reducing productivity. It’s all about working smarter,
not harder. In addition to the above besides, beyond some point, all you’re getting out of keeping
people for long hours is subpar or substandard work (or, worse, people merely pretending to work).

v) No clear progress paths

Employees – and especially good ones – don’t just want a job — they want a career. If they’re not
going to find that in your company, they’ll start asking around for their next opportunity. Keeping
people for years in the same position, with no clear career advancement path, makes them feel
trapped and unappreciated. You should offer your employees a path forward from early on,
informing them about possible career opportunities during their initial onboarding process and
helping those that are worth it to move along that path.