👨🏼‍🏭 🍪 🔧 I have zero turnover 🐈 👩🏿‍🤝‍👩🏽 💪🏼

Once at the factory, where I worked as an IT director, they prepared reports for some next event. It was necessary to calculate and provide indicators for the issued list, among them the staff turnover was wormed. And then it turned out that I have it equal to zero.

Of the leaders, I was so alone, thereby attracting attention. Well, he himself was surprised - it turns out that when employees do not leave you, this is strange and unusual.

In total, I worked as a manager for 7-10 years (I don’t know exactly what periods to include here), but zero turnover remained. Nobody ever left me, I never expelled anyone. Just typing.

Zero fluidity, as an indicator, has never been my goal in itself. But I try to make sure that the efforts invested in people are not wasted. Now I’ll tell you about how I manage so that people don’t leave - what if you find something useful for yourself. I do not pretend to be fully disclosed, because based only on personal experience. It is possible that I am doing everything wrong.

Head Responsibility

I have always believed that the failures of a subordinate are the failures of his leader. Therefore, I always smile when I hear the boss at the meeting reproaching his subordinates.

If I lead a person, and he doesn’t work well, then I’m doing something wrong, and bringing him to the level I want is my task. Well i.e. I need to think about how to make a person out of him, and not him.

Several times he stumbled over this item. A man comes to me, and in a month he wants to quit. I ask - what are you? And he - I do not meet the requirements. I say - why does this bother you? Well, he says, I'm bad, I need to be fired.

I have to explain that if it does not work well, then this is something wrong with my control system, and I will change it. And he needs not to bathe and just work. I'll think of something.

Customization

It sounds corny, but I use it. People are very different, and you need to use it. One is a good developer, and he needs privacy. Well, here you have the headphones and the far corner, you will receive tasks by mail. Another loves and knows how to talk and have people to himself - excellent, go remove requirements and pass tasks.

The third one thinks tightly - ok, he doesn’t do it on the support line. The fourth has 8 out of 10 in terms of “Luck” - which means you get the most stupid tasks. The fifth does not have abstract thinking, cannot design a solution in his head - excellent, we use a Korean breakfast.

Well, etc. There was a time when I tried to scratch everyone under one comb - it does not work, it causes internal resistance. Everyone wants to be themselves.

People in employees

I always try to see people in employees, and talk with people, not with employees. Well these are completely different entities.

An employee needs to carry out a plan, behave in a certain way, go to corporate parties, etc.

A person needs to pay a mortgage, take a child to training during working hours, cry in a vest, get more money, gain self-confidence, think about the future.

Here I am trying to work with a person, and not with his projection on corporate standards.

Release from work

Oddly enough, many have such a problem - get the hell off of work, especially if you need to do this systematically. Then you need to work out then, then take leave at your own expense, then coordinate an individual schedule.

And I myself have children who go to some kind of training all the time. And for four years now I have never been working all day.

I do the same with employees. There was a dude whose child went to a speech therapy kindergarten, and there you have to pick it up until 17-00 - it’s a pity or something, let him leave an hour earlier every day. Well, there all sorts of things to go to the hospital, to the Christmas tree to school, to run away to buy insurance - without any problems at all.

Oddly enough, no one ever abused. And they value much.

Corporate Values and Standards

I wanted to spit from the high bell tower. I used to believe in this nonsense when I worked in the first office, then I realized that it was nonsense. As the design of the shops - one is blue, the other is red, in the third they give a taste of sausage, in the fourth it is fresh. I will not, in my right mind, go to the store just because it is red?

And I spit, and advise subordinates. I do not prohibit, of course, if someone has a high need for belonging and wants to participate in the production of a musical, but I will not support either.

Protection

As a rule, it is necessary to protect company employees from the company itself. For example, from the bureaucracy. If everyone is forced to write some kind of report, then I try to save my own from it, sometimes I take this report upon myself.

Sometimes it is necessary to protect from people - managers, customers, other bosses, etc. Programmers are often introverts, and there is little experience in office abuse, so I transfer the conflict to myself and somehow try to resolve it.

Income

There is a problem with programmers - it is not always clear why they are paid money. Therefore, it is difficult to make people pay more. But I'm trying.

Usually I go through a change in the motivation system - I come up with one so that I can earn more by putting more effort or increasing efficiency. Those. everyone has one motivation system, and mine has another. Then they ask for other departments to come up with a motivation system when they see the effectiveness of the programmer.

Out-of-hours work

I hate working after hours. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you do not do this to all of yours. At the factory, this was the basis for constant conflicts with other managers.

Well they used to leave their after work and take out on the weekend. They need a programmer on Sunday - come and demand. And I am sending. I say that they are stupid deer, since they cannot plan their work in such a way as to meet the 8-hour day.

Manipulation

Any person can be manipulated, including a leader. It seems to me disgusting. Therefore, I stop any attempts to manipulate me.

I never have pets, ugly ducklings, right hands and favorites. And anyone who tries to become one receives a lecture on manipulation.

Goals

The goals that the company sets, I always complement or completely replace. My final goal is always higher and wider.

In general, to be honest, in no company the goals of employees are normally formulated. There are some common, meaningless, and therefore not motivating.

And I put ambitious. Well, something like that double in performance.

Personal goals

I try to find out the personal goals of each, and help to achieve them through work. Usually, the personal goals of programmers are somehow related to the profession, or can be realized with its help.

For example, if a person wants to become a boss, I help him. Now I’ve generally opened an internship program, a sandbox for managers - I just give part of the team to management, help, and, with normal results, the person receives the team on a permanent basis.

Violent development

I force to develop. Based on the fact that I recognize development only through practice, a person simply receives tasks that are difficult for him.

Not all, but 30 percent - something unfamiliar, new, complex. So that the brain constantly strains, and does not work on the machine.

Now, in general, I have made development the norm, laying it in the metrics. Those. no nirvana at all - every month you need to grow. It seems so far it turns out.

Conflicts

I love conflicts because they reveal problems. I don’t pass by, but pick and seek a solution. This applies to both internal and external conflicts.

In general, it is necessary to rejoice in conflicts. There is nothing worse than the hidden problems that shoot at the most inopportune moment.

Contacts outside work

I bring to zero. No corporate parties, meetings, sorties and trips to the laser tag. If they meet there somewhere without me - do not care, that's their business.

It seems to me that meeting a team with a leader in an informal setting is self-deception. It seems that everyone understands that the boss there is no longer the boss. But everyone remembers that tomorrow - to work. And they can’t relax completely. This means that the situation is no longer completely informal.

Atmosphere

It’s hard to explain here. The team always has a certain atmosphere, mood, mood, tension, relaxation, electrification, lethargy, etc. The atmosphere is shorter.

The boss must be responsible for this atmosphere, i.e. I am. I constantly monitor this atmosphere. Not even that: I create it. And then I monitor, and adjust. Those. I work as someone like an animator, clown or host.

I just noticed that the atmosphere affects efficiency just magically. I even have numbers on this subject, about two years collected, I’ll write about it somehow. With the right atmosphere, you can grow in two or three times, without using any other methods.
In principle, it is enough to take the atmosphere into the zone of your responsibility, and then it somehow starts to work out by itself. I don’t know how else to explain.

No ceremony

I try to minimize any court ceremonies and etiquette of communication. To make communication as simple and effective as possible.

At first, when an employee just arrived, it is very difficult. It’s unusual for people when the phrase “well, you wrote nonsense” is not a curse, but simply an evaluation of the code. I have to explain, catch at the exit those who thought they were hinting at the need to quit.

The buzz comes later, when everyone gets used to it. No need to chew snot and clothe speech in any standards. Is the code shit? That's what we say. Dude is stupid? Dumb. And did not go in the wrong direction.

Unconditional submission

I always seek unconditional submission. If I said not to work today, it means not to work today. If I say one hour to write code, another hour to walk on the street - so do it. He said to remove the second monitor - it is necessary to remove. I demand to change places - there is nothing to breed nurses.

This is not a jerk, but experiments and hypothesis testing. Everyone knows this, so they do not resist. They, as they say, for any kipish, except for a hunger strike. Because the results of these experiments increase their efficiency, income and develop competencies. Therefore, no explanation is needed.

Special

I noticed that people like to feel special compared to other employees of the company. Therefore, I make them special.

We almost always have our own motivation system, our goals, our methods, our effectiveness, our approaches and our philosophy.

People especially like it when they observe this feature from the side, or even from above. I try to make it that way. Well, there, so that the director knows that we are improving efficiency here, and we succeed, and he earns more money. Then I kick him to come, praise the people. Well, they rejoice like children, and continue to try.

Quality requirements

I have high quality requirements. Well, you remember - so that the boys were not ashamed to show. I apply these requirements to subordinates.

Just because I consider this a useful skill. Well, because I am responsible for what subordinates do.

Often I force redoing, if possible. But more often - I try to be present at the design stage so that it is immediately normal.

And people get used to it, and they start to like it. First of all, because others have lower requirements, which means mine have a competitive advantage.

I help a lot

Well, I don’t give up. If the task needs to be done, then we do it, not him. Those. the whole team answers, and since I am part of this team, this rule also applies to me.

If you need to urgently do it, but a person cannot cope, I sit down and help. If not rushing, and the deadlines are running out, I drive out and sit down to do it myself. Then, when we surrender, I explain how and what had to be done, what was the mistake, etc.

Making me help each other

Again, not just like that. In our area, competencies are very important, especially in subject and methodological areas. And they are always scattered among people. Therefore, the effectiveness of solving any problem jumps from performer to performer at times.

In general, it is enough to make everyone know the tasks of everyone. In the morning we quickly talked out loud, and then there were touches. One says - oh, I did that. Well, you will help.

Like that. One dude did the task, no one could help, spent 10 hours. The second time will do in 1 hour. Another dude, if he is not helped, will also spend 10 hours. And if you help him, he will spend 2 hours. And it will take 5-10 minutes to help. As a result, we save time, and we get two dudes who can solve this problem.

Yes, but it is necessary to force. Programmers do not like to talk to each other.

Layoff Kit

Somewhere I already wrote an article about the dismissal kit, I will not repeat it. I always tell people what: you are here temporarily, so take everything you can from work. The only things that you will not be able to pick up at the exit are competencies, experience, connections, skills. This is where it is worth focusing.

No need to try to integrate into the company, study its history, prospects, who sleeps with whom, how much gets, etc. This is meaningless information, because after dismissal it cannot be used in any way. Therefore, you should not spend time on it.

The main feature of the dismissal kit is that the person who works for him brings more benefit to the company than the dude who just came to sit at work. Because to benefit the company is also part of the dismissal kit. Very useful competency.

Show the world

No, I do not organize bus tours for employees. I just try to talk more about what is being done in the industry as a whole, at other enterprises, with other people. Exactly so that people understand their current location.

In a person’s self-esteem, his goal-setting, the context, or scale, or standards with which he compares himself is extremely important. If he looks only at two colleagues, then it may well turn out that he is the best programmer in this world. And if you look at what the guys from the neighboring enterprise are doing, then the assessment will immediately shift.

I want mine to have the most adequate rating. So they think in terms of the whole country, not the IT department or village. Then they want to develop.

findings

Conclusions do only you. I outlined the entry and exit, but I have no idea if one is conditional on the other.

Entrance - as I lead.
The output is zero turnover.

It is possible that people do not leave, not because of, but in spite of the way I lead. Then I just wonder what they are sitting here.

But there are markers that I carefully collect.

The first - when I quit, the team almost always runs up. They can’t work with a new boss.

The second - recently one of my ex went for an interview, to a large plant, and the director was ready to take it only because the dude worked on my team.

The third - completely strangers began to come to me, who came just to me, and not to the company.

Fourth, strangers periodically write to me on the Internet, and ask me.

Fifth - people from neighboring teams began to move to me. In such numbers that the team is growing at times.

What do you think?

I have zero turnover