Why Do Employees Really Quit Their Jobs? It Comes Down to the Same 8 Words I Often Hear as an Executive Coach

Challenged by turnover, disengagement, or low morale? This strategy may be a game-changer.

Feb 03, 2025

This post is part of my Thought Leadership series: long-form articles aimed at teaching you how to build great work cultures where people and businesses flourish. If you’re joining me for the first time - welcome to your leadership development journey! Get started by clicking on that red button below. From there, I promise to do everything possible to provide the pathways to make you that much better and more effective as a leader.

a yellow notepad on a keyboard — Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Employee turnover is a costly issue, with estimates suggesting it can range from 90% to 200% of an employee’s annual salary.

To make matters worse, research shows that many employees plan to leave their current company within the next 12 months.

If this sounds familiar, reversing the trend won’t happen overnight. It requires thoughtful engagement strategies and a sustained effort over time to realign your culture and leadership in the right direction.

To get the wheels in motion, leaders at any level must consider their employees as business partners and engage their workforce in an entrepreneurial way.

In my work as an executive coach, I get to pour over the data pointing to why people head for the exits. What your employees really want comes down to a legitimate complaint I have heard over and over in micromanaged environments. In eight words:

“I want to take ownership of my work.”

Employees need to be trusted more to take ownership of their work. After all, you hired smart and capable people to use their brains and make decisions. But are you giving them that level of freedom?

For example, think about whether your employees are granted access to the big picture, and whether they are allowed to have a voice to bring ideas to the table. That’s letting them think and act like an owner. It’s removing the fear and letting your best people to be in the driver’s seat because, well, they may be smarter than you, the manager.

Having coached senior leaders for two decades, I’ve figured out that giving employees ownership will lead to a high-performing culture.

And it all starts at the hiring level. Hiring bright, entrepreneurial-minded employees who are proactive, curious, and unafraid to challenge the status quo lays the foundation for an exceptional workforce.

The Strategy

To empower employees to think and act like business owners, they need the freedom to make decisions—and leaders must be willing to let them. This often requires a fundamental shift in leadership style. By learning to delegate authority and streamlining decision-making processes to support a flatter hierarchy, leaders can cultivate a culture where knowledge and leadership thrive at every level of the organization.

Here are five things I advise senior leaders and manager to get the entrepreneurial spirit in motion:

1. Cut Down on Your Rules

Excessive policies and bureaucratic hurdles kill creativity and stifle innovation. Go on a “rule diet” to simplify processes and make room for entrepreneurial energy. Better yet, create a cross-functional team tasked with identifying and eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy. This keeps systems lean and adaptable.

2. Let Them Turn Ideas Into Action

When a team member shares an idea—especially one outside their job scope—help them connect with the right people to bring it to life. Encouraging this kind of collaboration not only boosts creativity and skill-building but also improves engagement and innovation across the organization.

3. Celebrate Entrepreneurial Thinking

Recognize and reward employees who consistently offer impactful ideas, no matter how small. Whether it’s improving the customer experience or driving better business results, these contributions deserve acknowledgment to reinforce a culture of proactive problem-solving.

4. Share the Big Picture

For employees to think like owners, they need access to key information. Share strategic goals, performance updates, and upcoming changes. Inclusion in these conversations fosters better decision-making, aligns individual efforts with company objectives, and strengthens their sense of ownership.

5. Embrace Open Dialogue

Encourage employees to ask any question—yes, even the hard ones. A transparent culture builds trust and fosters collaboration. When people feel safe voicing their thoughts, it deepens engagement and creates a more resilient, trustworthy team dynamic.

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