# It's Not the Work, It's the Management By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-08-30 In movies, it is not uncommon for the line “It’s not you, it’s me” to be used at the end of a romantic relationship breakup. During an exit interview, it is not uncommon for the employee leaving to express gratitude about one’s employment and to ensure the HR representative that the organization is excellent; it is just that one is excited to pursue new opportunities. This amounts to the “it’s not you, it’s me” of organizational breakups. Whereas one might be willing to leave an organization for more money, flexibility, or a better location, the decision to leave an organization often comes down to its management. It is said that people don’t quit jobs; they quit bad managers. This is most obvious when one genuinely enjoys one’s work, the “what” of one’s employment. When it is not that what of work driving a person away, look for who. If it’s not the work, it’s the management. People do not typically divulge this in an exit interview for various reasons. Maybe they want to keep the door open a crack, so if the new employment doesn’t work out, they might be able to return. Perhaps they don’t want to be negative. Maybe they figure there is little point in providing this type of information. Whatever the reason, the organization should be skeptical about the veracity of exit interview information. All the analysis in the world cannot reveal ways to improve the organization if the data don’t reflect reality. Good analysis cannot make up for bad data. Besides, some things just aren’t that hard to figure out. #### Related Items [[Management]] [[Work]] [[Analytics]] [[Quitting]] [[Decision-making]] [[Interviewing]]