Bob is leaving behind the business that he helped start and grow and save and grow and sell and sell again, and no one in BIGCO cares.  Frankly, no one in the upper ranks even knows that he exists.  The dirty little secret: he’s just another faceless number on a spreadsheet and his departure will improve the expense to revenue ratio, and solve an annoying compensation problem in this now remote outpost of BIGCO.  Bob is in the prime of his career, an expert and one of the last shreds of the soul of a great business.  Bob is relieved to be moving on, but to BIGCO, it’s not even noticeable.  Good for Bob.

There’s more.

Mary has years of experience and a reputation for legendary customer service.  Her service is so good that as she has moved from branch to branch, her customers move their money to follow her.  She was reassigned the other day.  She received a terse e-mail telling her to report to her new location inside a grocery store in a neighborhood where she fears for her safety.  No supervisor picked up the phone or stopped by to talk to her.  No explanation, just the note to report.  She was held-up in the store last week.  Mary will leave this firm at the first opportunity,.

Jerry’s boss was the one that explained proudly that his family, and in fact everything came second to his job at ANOTHERBIGCO.  (Would You Work for this Character.)  Jerry is a technical expert, a rising young leadership star and someone that would make the A-list of any reasonable leader.  Jerry didn’t make the cut during downsizing… he thinks jokingly because his family Christmas card photo didn’t show him holding a cell phone to his ear as his boss so proudly explained was the real test of loyalty. "You won’t see a picture of my family with me in it where I’m not holding a phone to my ear."  Jerry is unemployed, but better off in search of someone to work for with real values and character.

These are all real and recent examples.  I know each of these people, and I can’t reasonably process how these great examples of horrendous leadership came to pass.  Clearly, the people in charge failed to get the memo that great organizations are built and thrive on the contributions of great people.  They missed the class that covered the topic of employees that surprise and delight customers are worth keeping and developing.  And the surely missed the e-mail that indicated that e-mail is no way to communicate life altering changes to a person’s job. 

To Bob, Mary and Jerry, don’t give up hope that your talents and enthusiasm for serving and your genius are not needed.  They are needed now more than ever, but by organizations run by leaders that understand and institutionalize the practices to find, develop and keep people with genius, passion and skill. 

To the leaders at BIGCO and ANOTHERBIGCO, your talent is leaving and you probably don’t even know it.  You will when EFFECTIVELEADERCO has you for lunch in the market.  Wake up and figure out why your best and brightest are walking out the door with a smile on their faces.