WEBVTT 1 00:00:04.519 --> 00:00:07.280 Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of 2 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:12.080 performance through strong human relations, team building, and goalajving. This 3 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:15.880 is the seven minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul 4 00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:24.600 fella Aledo. Hello everyone, and welcome to this seven minute 5 00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:30.199 leadership podcast. It's episode seven sixty seven. Today's episode is 6 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:35.880 called warning Signs before Walkouts. Every leader worries about the 7 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:41.479 moment someone resigns. The email arrives, the meeting invitation appears, 8 00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:46.159 someone says, can we talk for a minute. You immediately 9 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:51.479 begin wondering what happened. The truth is employees rarely wake 10 00:00:51.560 --> 00:00:54.399 up on a Tuesday morning and suddenly decide to quit. 11 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:59.960 Walkouts usually begin weeks or months before the resignation letter. 12 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:06.640 The decision grows quietly while leaders stay focused on schedules, reports, meetings, 13 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:13.079 and deadlines, and people almost always leave twice, first emotionally 14 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:18.760 then physically. If you can recognize the emotional departure, you 15 00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:22.359 may still have time to change the ending. So let's 16 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:26.640 talk about some warning signs that leaders overlook every single day. 17 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:33.000 The first warning sign is that curiosity disappears. The employee 18 00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:37.799 who used to ask questions suddenly stops asking. They no 19 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:43.840 longer volunteer, ideas, they stop challenging inefficient processes. They become 20 00:01:43.959 --> 00:01:51.840 professionally silent. Many leaders mistake silence for satisfaction. It usually isn't. 21 00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:56.640 When people believe their voice no longer matters, they stop 22 00:01:56.760 --> 00:02:03.079 using it. Silence isn't peace. Silence is often withdrawal. The 23 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:08.479 second warning sign is shrinking effort. Notice I didn't say 24 00:02:08.599 --> 00:02:15.639 poor performance. Performance often stays high. Experienced employees can contribute 25 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:20.240 producing quality work long after they've mentally checked out. What 26 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:24.840 changes is the extra effort. They stop staying late, they 27 00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:29.479 stop mentoring new employees, They stop fixing the little problems 28 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:32.719 nobody notices. They stop caring about things that aren't written 29 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:37.240 in their job description. They're doing their job. They're no 30 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:43.199 longer doing your mission. That difference matters. And here's another signal. 31 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:50.800 Watch what happens after meetings. Engaged employees continue talking, They 32 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:55.960 discuss ideas in the hallway, they brainstorm improvements, they laugh, 33 00:02:56.080 --> 00:03:01.479 They build momentum. Disengaged employees stand up their things and disappear. 34 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:07.000 Every meeting has an after meeting. That's often where culture 35 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:12.520 reveals itself. And another warning sign is emotional neutrality. We 36 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:16.599 often expect burned out employees to be angry. Many aren't. 37 00:03:16.879 --> 00:03:21.800 Their calm, perhaps too calm. Good news doesn't excite them. 38 00:03:21.879 --> 00:03:25.879 Bad news doesn't upset them. Recognition barely gets a reaction. 39 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:33.240 Criticism doesn't either. They've emotionally disconnected from the outcome. When 40 00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:39.199 someone stops reacting, they've often stopped investing. And here's one 41 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:44.280 leader's miss. Constantly the employee stops talking about the future. 42 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:49.560 Listen carefully to their language. Instead of saying next quarter, 43 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:55.680 we should, they say you guys should. One word changes everything, 44 00:03:55.800 --> 00:04:01.280 we becomes you. That tiny shift tells you they're already 45 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:07.199 picturing life somewhere else. Language always leaks reality, so pay 46 00:04:07.240 --> 00:04:12.879 attention to it. And here's another overlooked indicator. The employee 47 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:20.360 becomes incredibly organized. That sounds strange. People preparing to leave 48 00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:26.079 often begin documenting everything. They clean their desk, organize digital files, 49 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:33.399 update procedures, finish loose ends. They begin creating clean exits. 50 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:40.439 Many leaders praise this behavior. Sometimes it's preparation for departure. 51 00:04:41.240 --> 00:04:48.600 And let's discuss attendance. Everyone notices increased absences. Fewer people 52 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:55.480 notice increased precision. Employees preparing to leave often use every 53 00:04:55.680 --> 00:05:00.720 hour of vacation they've accumulated every doctor's appointment get scheduled, 54 00:05:00.759 --> 00:05:07.040 every personal errand suddenly becomes important. Why Because they're interviewing 55 00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:13.120 or they're preparing for transition. The calendar tells stories, so 56 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:18.480 read it carefully. And here's a difficult truth. Some employees 57 00:05:19.160 --> 00:05:24.439 stop bringing problems to leadership. At first glance, this sounds wonderful. 58 00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:29.480 No complaints, no conflict, no issues. The reality is different. 59 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:34.519 People stop reporting problems when they've stopped believing the problems 60 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:40.399 will be solved. Silence is rarely proof that everything is healthy. 61 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:46.800 Sometimes it's proof that hope has disappeared. Now here's something 62 00:05:46.839 --> 00:05:53.800 I've learned from emergency services. People rarely experience catastrophic failure 63 00:05:54.240 --> 00:06:01.720 without earlier indicators. Equipment usually gives warning signs. Engines make 64 00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:08.360 unusual sounds, batteries weaken, temperatures rise, pressure changes. The same 65 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:14.399 applies to people. Organizations don't lose great employees without signals. 66 00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:18.920 The signals simply get ignored because leaders are busy, because 67 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:24.800 leaders assume everything is fine, because leader's mistake. Activity for engagement, 68 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:31.639 Leadership requires noticing what everyone else walks past. So here's 69 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:35.120 a question, when was the last time you asked one 70 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:39.360 of your top performers this simple question, what has become 71 00:06:39.480 --> 00:06:42.959 harder around here than it needs to be? Not how's 72 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:49.240 everything going? Nobody answers that honestly. Ask about friction, ask 73 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:55.839 about obstacles, ask about frustrations. Those conversations uncover issues before 74 00:06:56.120 --> 00:07:03.399 resignation letters do. And here's another powerful habit. Schedule conversations 75 00:07:03.399 --> 00:07:07.040 with employees when nothing is wrong. If every meeting with 76 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:13.319 leadership only happens after mistakes, discipline, or annual reviews, you've 77 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:18.800 already created the wrong relationship. The best retention tool isn't 78 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:24.720 higher pay. It isn't pizza, It isn't another employee appreciation week. 79 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:31.920 It's consistent attention. People stay where they feel seen. And finally, 80 00:07:32.519 --> 00:07:37.160 remember this, walkouts don't begin at the exit door. They 81 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:41.639 begin when employees believe their effort no longer changes anything. 82 00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:45.759 That's the moment leaders need to recognize, not months later, 83 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:50.920 not after the resignation, right then, because once someone emotionally leaves, 84 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:55.879 the physical departure often becomes a matter of timing. Great 85 00:07:55.920 --> 00:08:00.000 leaders don't wait for resignation letters. They learn to recognize 86 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:06.360 quiet changes in attitude, language, energy, and engagement. Those small 87 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:11.199 observations can save great employees strength and culture and prevent 88 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:17.959 surprises that shake an entire organization. Leadership isn't about reacting 89 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:23.000 to walkouts. Leadership is about recognizing the warning signs long 90 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:31.399 before someone reaches the door. So as you head into 91 00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:38.159 your next leadership conversation, I want you to spend a 92 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:44.519 few minutes paying attention to what isn't being said. Listen 93 00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:53.000 for quieter voices, disappearing ideas in those subtle changes in attitude. 94 00:08:53.320 --> 00:08:57.600 Those small signals often tell the biggest story. The leaders 95 00:08:57.600 --> 00:09:01.799 who notice them first, or the leader's people continue choosing 96 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:05.759 to follow. This has been the seven Minute Leadership Podcast, 97 00:09:05.799 --> 00:09:08.240 and I thank you for listening. For more, Paul Fell 98 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:12.840 of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.