People Don’t Leave Jobs; They Leave Uninspiring Leaders and Bad AI Workflows
"I recently dug up a blog post I wrote in August 2009 titled 'People Don’t Leave Organisations, they Leave Managers.' In 2009, we were beginning to understand 'Engagement.' Today, we are navigating 'Augmentation.' While the technology has shifted from spreadsheets to AI Agents, the core reason talent walks out the door remains stubbornly the same.
Here is my 2026 perspective on why the manager is still the most critical link in the chain, and how that role has fundamentally changed."
Why "People Leave Managers" Will Be More True in 2026 Than Ever Before
The adage from 2009 still rings true: "People don’t leave organisations; they leave managers." But in 2025, the definition of a "bad manager" has evolved. In an era of remote-first work, AI-driven productivity, and the "Great Alignment," people aren't just fleeing toxic bosses; they are fleeing leaders who fail to provide meaning, mentorship, and modern tools.
Defining the "Bad AI Workflow" Trap. To understand why people leave today, we must explain what a "Bad AI Workflow" actually looks like. It is not simply a lack of technology; it is the misapplication of it.
A bad AI workflow occurs when a manager uses AI to automate tasks that workers enjoy, as critical thinking, creative strategy, and collaborative brainstorming, while leaving humans to handle the mundane maintenance, data cleaning, and "babysitting" of the AI. High-performing talent does not want to become a janitor for a robot. If your workflow lets the AI have all the fun (creativity) and gives the human all the chores (admin), you aren't augmenting your team; you are erasing their purpose.
If you want to keep your best talent in 2026, you need to audit yourself against these new benchmarks:
1. Are you a Coach or a Bottleneck? In 2009, managers were "traffic controllers." Today, AI agents handle the logistics of delegation. If your value-add is just "assigning tasks," you are a bottleneck. A 2026 leader focuses on Human-Centric Coaching, solving complex emotional hurdles and helping the team navigate the ambiguity that AI cannot.
2. Radical Transparency vs. "Surprise" Feedback The yearly appraisal is a relic. With real-time performance analytics available to both you and your staff, "surprises" are a sign of management failure. Honesty today means continuous alignment. If your report doesn't know exactly where they stand every Friday, you aren't managing; you’re coasting.
3. Do You Protect the "Joy of Work"? Talent leaves when they feel their skills are stagnating or their creativity is stifled. A great manager in 2025 is a Workflow Architect. Are you helping your team leverage AI to delete their drudgery, or are you accidentally automating their joy?
The Bad Workflow: AI writes the strategy; the human formats the document.
The Good Workflow: AI formats the document; the human writes the strategy. If you don't allow them to keep the thinking, creativity, and collaboration that make work human, they will find a leader who will.
4. Psychological Safety in a Hybrid World Leading from the front no longer means being the last one in the office. It means being the first to model boundaries. Do you respect "Deep Work" blocks? Do you protect your team from "Always-On" culture? People leave managers who treat them like 24/7 processors rather than as human beings with lives.
5. Visibility and the "Secure" Leader. Insecurity is still the #1 talent killer. Secure leaders give their team direct access to the C-Suite and let them own their wins. In a digital economy, your reputation is built on how many people you promote out of your team, not how many you keep under your thumb.
The Bottom Line Communication hasn't changed, but the medium has. Whether via a 1:1 in-person or a sync in the metaverse, your team needs to feel seen, supported, and stretched. If you don't provide a sense of purpose and a workflow that prioritises their creativity over their productivity, no amount of "perks" will stop them from hitting 'Apply' elsewhere.
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