If you’ve been in leadership for a while, you’ve probably had somebody leave your team that caught you by surprise. In more challenging economic times it’s more important than ever to make sure we’re retaining good people on our teams. Perhaps I’ve watched one too many episode of House or ER but I’ve heard the line “we’re losing them” so many times, as a myriad of machines beeped and a patient lay in critical condition. The machines tracked their vital signs, and well before the patient died there were signs of trouble for the trained eye. If they intervened in time that could be the difference between life and death.

The ‘Seven Signs of Signing Off’ are indicators that I’m losing someone on my team… that might just give me the lead time that I need to intervene, to change course, to have the right conversation. Early warning signs that “we’re losing them”. One sign on it’s own is no big deal, but the more of these indicators I see, the more concerned I am that the end may be near.

1. Broken connections. When key relationships are disconnected, such as a close friend of theirs resigning or being transferred from their department, one reason to stay is lost.
2. Discontentment with aspects of their job or environment which neither of you can control. When a person focuses their frustration on issues that can’t be resolved (like the location of your offices or a global issue like exchange rates) it’s often a sign they’re giving up.
3. Getting awkward. Typically people’s interaction becomes less natural when they’re thinking about moving on. Human nature is to distance yourself, and maybe even get a little worried that somehow ‘people can tell’.
4. Disinterest in goals. If a person is usually goal orientated but they’re not motivated by them as much anymore, it can be a good indication that they don’t think they’ll be around long enough for goals to matter.
5. Contact level is reduced. This can be harder to pick up with low contact people, but since more than 55% of our communication is conveyed through body language, a noticeable drop in friendly touch or eye contact is a subtle but vital sign.
6. Shift to a negative focus. Many times I’ve seen outward negativity as the window to a person’s self-talk. Even unconsciously we begin to express our negativity in order to justify our reasons for leaving.
7. Becoming emotionally neutral. When I’m checking out in my head, strong emotions like celebration and frustration are replaced with a dispassionate middle ground. I used to care, but I don’t any more.

So what does a leader do with all this? Don’t overreact or start checking up on people out of paranoia. They’re just warning lights on the dash. But the more of them I notice together, the more certain I am that something is seriously amiss. It won’t always prevent disaster. But if that awareness saved you one staff member, that’s a big save.

When it comes to building great teams, frank is your friend. Not frank the person, frank the quality. Leaders who create environments where communication stays frank (open, honest & clear) set their teams up to succeed.

I’ve coached and spoken for numerous organisations and so observed many different cultures when it comes to communication. Cultures where you don’t ask questions. Cultures where it’s not polite to say what you really mean. Cultures where you don’t tell the boss bad news. Cultures where gossip reigns and people watch their backs. Cultures where no-one dares challenge the status quo.

And yet I notice highly effective teams are mostly quite the opposite. These teams know that things don’t tend to change until someone is prepared to be honest and say “this isn’t working”. Sometimes the most creative thing you can do is simply stop doing something that isn’t working anyway. The energy and time you’ll save can be better spent finding a solution that actually works.

Great teams understand that relationships don’t tend to improve until someone is courageous enough to ‘go there’. Most days I sit face to face with business leaders as their coach, and very often the solution to their so-called ‘people problem’ is simply this – have the honest conversation. Don’t hint. Don’t wonder. Don’t wish. Don’t manipulate. Don’t gossip. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t replace them. Don’t blame someone else. Don’t delegate it. Have the honest conversation.

So, what’s bothering you today that it’s time to be frank about? Frank doesn’t mean harsh… you can communicate clearly without destroying people, overloading emotions, or constantly mouthing off your opinion. There’s a time and place for frank.

What conversations have you been avoiding having? What price have you paid for avoiding them? The price is probably going up for you, for them and for the whole team the longer you allow it to go unaddressed. Simple advice… do it … this week.