There is a well-known phrase that says people don’t leave companies—they leave managers. Let’s take that notion a step further: People don’t leave companies—they leave environments where energy absorbers thrive under poor managers. Or even worse, they leave energy-absorbing managers.
What does it mean to be an energy absorber? It means someone is a momentum stopper, an initiative blocker, or even a conflict creator. These colleagues are the ones who, regardless of their individual talent and abilities, make it extremely difficult to make progress. And progress is the lifeblood of business.
