Why Good Employees Quit

You’ve probably heard the saying that “good employees don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad managers,” or the more blunt “people don’t quit their company, they quit their manager.” It’s a constant maxim at leadership seminars around the world and it sneaks its way back into our minds pretty much every time someone announces their departure.

The saying is built on the idea that good people leave because they are being managed poorly. Talented people want the ability to display their talent — the thought process goes — and so suffering through micromanagement or constant negative treatment isn’t worth it for them. Moreover, because they’re so talented, the job market isn’t a terrifying though to them, it’s a comforting one.

All of that may be true, but it ignores a deeper truth. We know from surveys, from studies, from exit interviews, and the like, that good people — talented employees — leave bad cultures.

Good employees quit poor company cultures.

Poor company cultures allow bad management to happen, which explains the truth of the original cliché. But it’s more important to internalize that people leave poor company cultures because that has greater implications for talent and for management.

The first implication is that, if you are looking to join an organization, then it means that you need…