These days, talent is in abundance, with many overqualified candidates applying for jobs and accepting positions (and salaries) that might be of a lower strata than they’ve held throughout their careers. Some experienced employees are even starting from the ground up as a way to get their foot in the door with some companies.

This is a great situation for businesses. They’re able to bolster their talent networks and pick up some all-star employees — employees they might not have otherwise been able to secure. By garnering this top-flight talent, they can:

• avoid much of the training typically necessary for less-experienced or less-talented staff;
• take on more jobs and projects that require a particular skill set; and
• gain some instant leadership skills at key positions.

The all-star talent you’ve just recruited, however, will only be satisfied and stay with your firm if they have all-star management leading them. And the sad truth is that, just as often as not, some managers are more like Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada than, say, Robert Loggia’s boss characterization in Big. The result can be a very negative workplace environment that is anything but conducive to talent retention.

The following 5 management traits are guaranteed to scare off that great talent you’ve just hired. Honestly evaluate your company’s managers to ensure they’re not practicing any of the following:

1. Providing Little or No Guidance for Direct Reports

Yes, the business world moves quickly and is ever-changing. But not having a plan that your direct reports understand and are kept abreast of, is one of the worst managerial offenses. Savvy employees are certainly capable of working together and problem-solving without much guidance from a manager, but constantly keeping your team in the dark about plans and projects will tend to create chaos, as will always “playing it by ear.”

The same holds true, by the way, when it comes to feedback: Staffers always prefer to get some feedback — good or bad — on their actions with particular projects and on their work in general. Not providing feedback indicates to them that you’re not engaged with them or their work (or possibly even your own work).

2. Bullying

Alas, bullying doesn’t end on the playground as kids — bullying bosses can take up residence in the business world, too. Typically, bullying managers are the type that have to always make sure that their employees don’t feel like too superior (or more superior than the manager). Office bullies might constantly berate, raise their voice, and/or utilize scare tactics to make their staffers feel small and worthless. This, of course,  is the exact opposite behavior that you want to exhibit to retain top employees and build up your business for success. Ensure that your managers are treating staffers like the professionals they are.

3. Micro-managing and Lack of Delegation

Having trust in your employees to do the job you hired them to do is extremely important, especially for high-end talent. Micro-managing them and not enough having trust in them to follow through on their day-to-day tasks is detrimental to their effectiveness and your team’s. Employees will begin to feel that their work is being over-analyzed and that they’ve lost your trust — eventually, this will lead to resentment, frustration and, likely, separation from the company.

A lack of effective delegation is another way to ensure top talent won’t stick around. Yes, managers often need to delegate many tasks and responsibilities while they handle the bigger-picture items. But if you’re only delegating unimportant tasks and projects, and never allowing your staff to take on larger, more important projects, you’re telling them you have no confidence in their abilities.

4. Acting Like You’re Always Right

A manager that places blame on his or her subordinates when a situation goes wrong is the worst kind. Placing blame on others and not providing constructive criticism will build resentment among your staff and will likely give them the impression that they are replaceable entities. Acting self-reliant and making the assumption that you are never wrong are bad habits for a manager. Don’t let a sense of entitlement and cocky behavior blind you to the fact that you should be building a team — not a monarchy.

5. Lying

This could very well be the most heinous offenses of a “bad boss.” Lying to employees is by far one of the most offensive traits that a boss can have. Not only does lying create mistrust in the workplace, but it also causes employees to always feel on edge — if you lied to them once, why wouldn’t you lie again? “This time I’m telling the truth” just doesn’t cut it. Being honest and trustworthy with staffers can go a long way when it comes to retaining great talent and building a structure for company success.

Photo credit: geralt / pixabay.com