Articles and Research Results

Ask Leadership & Career Coach Hanna ‒ Why Am I Not Happy At Work?

May 2022

Dear Coach Hanna,

I’m always stressed about work and am unhappy in my current position. I feel drained at the end of every day. I don’t seem to be able to pinpoint, though, what makes it such an awful experience for me. Can you help?

Thanks, Sarah, for sharing. What a reflective question! I acknowledge you for not jumping to conclusions, e.g. “I need to change jobs asap”, and being open to reflect on what’s working for you and what’s not. Understanding the drivers of your unhappiness will allow you to build a sound game plan to improve your situation sustainably going forward.

Leadership Spotlight: Insights and Potential

December 2021

This international survey of leaders with staff responsibilities was performed in August-September 2021 by Hanna Herbst and Andrew Mountfield to get insights on leadership during a global pandemic. Results indicate a high level of positive leadership behaviors, aimed to increase engagement, delegate and distribute responsibility and recognize and reward performance.

However, the survey identified factors that point to staff considering quitting: 

• Individuals complaining about work more than usual

• Falls in performance by otherwise productive staff members

• Leaders’ intuition that a member of staff may be questioning whether they’re in the right job

The survey concludes with a structured offering to address the challenge of a far higher level of resignations than before the crisis.

Why Company Values Matter More Than You Might Think

October 2021

“Employees don’t quit companies, they quit managers”. We probably all know someone, maybe even ourselves, who quit a job blaming the direct manager. Does this, however, justify such a generalization or is it too easy to simply put all the blame on the direct manager when an employee leaves an organization?

​As a management consultant and life coach, I had the opportunity to work with many companies across industries on the one hand and with individuals suffering from toxic work environments on the other hand. The correlation between company values and employee satisfaction stood out time again and again and it directly impacts whether employees resign and look for new opportunities.