Staying Because of Friends

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The long term belief amongst many is that people quit their bosses more than their organizations. There is considerable data that supports this assumption. Subsequently, it is a priority for organizations to invest in developing great (not perfect) leaders. No one should feel like they need to quit because they work for a toxic boss. Ideally, we want them to stay and get results because they like who they work for. However, strong leadership may not be sufficient.

There is an emerging focus and a very strong counterweight to less than great leadership. The principle I’m going to bring new emphasis to, is not a breakthrough concept. However, post Covid, when people are struggling to thrive at work, this idea may deserve new attention. So here it is: People stay at work and contribute better/longer because of their friends.

When we reflect on this, it makes a lot of sense. The most obvious case is in the armed services or other environments where one’s life is dependent on teammates. However, this makes practical and reasonable sense even in the most mundane and pedestrian situations. We build relationships at work and often these people become more than work friends. If we’re fortunate, one day the “work” drops off and we become friends without any qualifications. For many of us, these folks become lifelong friends.

So if this is a reasonable proposition, leaders and organizations should be more proactive in amplifying and accelerating work friendships. If we want people to participate more in person , then let’s reinforce the ability for people to personally connect, ideally creating friendships where we genuinely care for each other. This includes work situations where people work remotely. However, to reinforce this approach , the way we ask people to leave organizations must change too. Included in off boarding we must recognize that we are not only asking people to leave their position/organization, we must acknowledge they are having to leave their friends too.

If we seriously consider this belief in a more modern way, the actions we take will be much more considered and intentional. If we want talent to stay, fully contribute and invest in relationships, we need to understand that part of our business is friendship development. Imagine what we might do if we take that idea seriously? What might you do?

We are ALL in the friend development business at work!!

Think Big, Start Small, Act Now,

- Lorne

One Millennial View: In the ether, there is a population of professionals who wish to obtain a job, put their heads down, accomplish tasks, leave, and receive a paycheck with as little human interaction as possible. For them, ideally work would not bleed into their personal lives. Then, there are leaders who seem to have learned that business and friendship are a bad pairing, and they intentionally spoil any chance of this integration. These personalities might be prevalent in entertainment or social media (because it creates drama), however realistically, who wouldn’t want to make some friends at work? Or at the very least, be a positive individual to hang around with? The hurdle is friendship development 1. Takes extra effort. 2. Isn’t “necessary.” Well, so what? If you try, you might find that friendship development will make your job easier, more enjoyable and you’ll be better at it. Just because Dwight Schrute makes you laugh at home, doesn’t mean you really want to spend every day with him.

- Garrett

Staying Because of Friends

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