The Kmiec Ramblings

My old boss and good friend, Kevin Doohan, has finally completely drank the Kool-Aid.  Although this isn’t any ordinary Kool-Aid.  This is the type of Kool-Aid, that’s been expired for 6 years and laced with mushrooms.  It’s the type of Kool-Aid that you should only drink at a Pink Floyd concert.

I think that people’s perceptions generally mask the reality.  When things are great for you, you think they must be great for everyone else.  When things are bad for you, you think they’re bad for everyone else.  Sure, that’s a gross oversimplification, but it gets right to the heart of the situation.  How you view the world is relative to how the world treats you and views you, but it doesn’t mean that your view is how everyone else sees things.  Keep in mind, the world, can be as large or as small as you want it to be.

Here’s something I’m sure of, people don’t leave their job because they love their job.  In my own career, I’ve made good career choices.  ConAgra Foods was one of those great experiences.  As my Facebook page says, “3 years spent in Omaha, NE learning the ins and outs of corporate culture and politics…like who you can email and who you can’t.”  There’s some fun in there, but a lot of truth.  ConAgra Foods really helped me understand how to manage your way throw layers at a company and it prepared me to have conversations with C-level people at organizations.

Every place I’ve ever worked was a beneficial experience and has helped made me what I am today.  But, I can honestly say that whenever I’ve made a choice to leave an organization, it’s been for 1 of 3 reasons:

1. Contributions to the company were not valued or recognized
2. Compensation didn’t equal the peformance I was giving
3. Poor and/or uninspired senior leadership

This is exactly why I left ConAgra Foods.  Specifically, #1 and #2.

Just to make sure I wasn’t crazy, I decided to do some digging (something we do a great job of at Colle+McVoy) and unearthed several links that substantiate my own experiences.  This link, from HR Morning, titled, “7 big reasons people leave their jobs” is probably my favorite.  In that article we’re given the following reasons for leaving:

1. Downsizing or restructuring (54%);
2. Sought new challenges or opportunities (30%);
3. Ineffective leadership (25%);
4. Poor relationship with manager (22%);
5. To improve work/life balance (21%);
6. Contributions to the company were not valued (21%);
7. Better compensation and benefits (18%).

Hmm, kinda interesting.  Just so you don’t think I cherry picking data, I encourage you do a search in Google for, “why people leave their jobs.”  I promise you, you’ll find more of the same insights.

If I was working at Kmiec Inc. and was the man in charge, the company would abide by the following when it comes to employee growth and compensation:

1. Reward on the spot, don’t wait till the end of the year or the formal review.
2. Encourage people to take on more responsibility.
3. Don’t pay employees based on the market, pay them based on their importance to the company’s success.
4. Pay your top performers 10% more than the market rate; it’s hard to find good talent and once you have it, don’t let your competition take it from you.
5. Cut non-performers quickly; there’s no sense in paying someone who is clearly not performing well.
6. Promote people based on their performance not a predetermined timeline.  We should applaud people who climb the ladder quickly, not say things, like “she’s performing like a XXXX, but she’s only got XXXX years of experience so we can’t promote her.”  That’s a recipe for losing talent.
7. Actively listen to their career goals and help them get there.
8. Don’t let so called policies stop you from doing the right thing.  If the policy is stopping you or holding you back, it’s time to change the policy.

Honestly, it’s that simple.  Well to me it is.

Thanks, Kevin for inspiring me to get these thoughts down.  They’ve been in my head for a while and it was your kick in the pants that got me fired up.

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