There has been a plethora of surveys of late stating that bad bosses are the main reason why most people leave their job. 

Gary Cattermole, a leading employee research provider, gives his top 10 tips on how to retain your talent and become the world’s best manager.

1. Rule number one: you’re not paid to be your team member’s best friend. You’re there to lead, inspire and cultivate a great working environment. If you’re finding the transition from co-worker to manager tricky, get support and training to ensure you reach your potential as boss.
2. Support your staff – ensure your staff understand what is expected of them, and make sure they have the necessary skills to fulfil their role. But don’t forget to ensure each member of staff pulls their weight too.
3. Treat your staff fairly and with respect. Never have favourites as it will only breed a culture of negativity and feelings of animosity to you and your ‘chosen one’.
4. A lack of recognition is another big reason why people jump ship. Praise and reward – it’s one of the easiest ways to build rapport and a loyal following from your staff. Even when times are tough staff still respect a manager that recognises their hard work and achievements.  
5. Encourage a team environment – ensure your staff feel part of a successful team, it will boost morale by breeding a sense of mutual respect and a desire to perpetuate the success to avoid letting colleagues down.
6. Engage with your staff – ask your staff what they think could be done to improve the working environment, systems and processes. By encouraging them to get involved and by making them feel part of the decision making process, staff will feel recognised and more valued.
7. Never turn your back on a disciplinary issue it will never go away unless you deal with it fairly and swiftly.
8. Be personable and understanding – find out about your staff, the better you know them the easier it will be to pick up on any potential problems affecting their work. Support them and show an interest in what they do outside of office hours. For example: offer flexible working where possible for staff with small families or sick relatives etc.
9. Trust your employees: they need to know that you believe in them and trust them to do a good job to the best of their abilities. Install a no blame culture, where people are given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes without the fear of failure, this will help to generate a more entrepreneurial approach to your department and your sales figures will rise.
10. It’s the easiest thing to do, but sometimes the most overlooked – say: “thank you” – you’ll be amazed by how much those two words will be appreciated by your staff.

Gary Cattermole, is the co-founder and director of The Survey Initiative