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The Deadly Sins of Employee Retention
A Leadership IQ study found that 47% of high performers are actively seeking other jobs while an additional 44% are passively looking. Every organization wants to retain their employees, especially their best employees. But most leaders are making mistakes. We studied more than 100,000 leaders to identify the Deadly Sins of Employee Retention. These are the five mistakes that can destroy the retention efforts of organizations and their leaders. This book will challenge some of the most entrenched and misguided beliefs about employee retention. We'll show you how to avoid the Deadly Sins of Employee Retention and teach you five cutting-edge strategies for keeping your best people. Individual leaders and entire organizations can transform their retention efforts immediately.
- GenresNonfictionLeadership
102 pages, Paperback
First published January 17, 2006
About the author
Mark Murphy
19 booksMurphy is the founder and CEO of research and consulting firm Leadership IQ, which specializes in leadership training and employee surveys for the private healthcare industry and large and mid-size corporations.
As the driving force behind Leadership IQ's research arm, Murphy and his findings are often referenced in business news reports.
As the driving force behind Leadership IQ's research arm, Murphy and his findings are often referenced in business news reports.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 14, 2022
A Must Read for Managers
If you are a manger of a team of any size then you should read this book. Retention is the number one thing that managers should be focused on today. With the world changing faster and faster and employees looking for a place that respects them and their talents retention has become a top priority.
I work in an industry that employs drivers and finding qualified candidates is hard, it’s even harder because the pool of candidates is shrinking every year. Without focusing on retention I would lose great employees to the next business.
If you are looking for ways to retain employees and are in an Industry where employees are hard to find then this book will help you. Even if you don’t think of retention as that important read this book. It has some great tips that can help you know if retention is something you need to be concerned about.
If you are a manger of a team of any size then you should read this book. Retention is the number one thing that managers should be focused on today. With the world changing faster and faster and employees looking for a place that respects them and their talents retention has become a top priority.
I work in an industry that employs drivers and finding qualified candidates is hard, it’s even harder because the pool of candidates is shrinking every year. Without focusing on retention I would lose great employees to the next business.
If you are looking for ways to retain employees and are in an Industry where employees are hard to find then this book will help you. Even if you don’t think of retention as that important read this book. It has some great tips that can help you know if retention is something you need to be concerned about.
February 16, 2025
This is a nice book for new leaders on the topic of retention: it’s quick to read, easy to understand, and practical to apply. I liked the focus on retaining key players rather than trying to keep everyone, and the “shoves and tugs” concept stood out as a useful way to individualize retention strategies. The book encourages getting to know employees on a deeper level, which I appreciated.
That said, some of the language and terms used gave me the impression of a more persuasive approach to retention, focusing on convincing employees to stay, which can sometimes overshadow what’s truly best for them. While not necessarily manipulative, it sometimes felt like the assumption was that the leader knows best, rather than acknowledging that in some cases, the right move for an employee might be to leave for a better opportunity. It’s a solid starting point, but I’d recommend complementing it with books that emphasize growth and a more balanced, employee-focused approach to retention.
That said, some of the language and terms used gave me the impression of a more persuasive approach to retention, focusing on convincing employees to stay, which can sometimes overshadow what’s truly best for them. While not necessarily manipulative, it sometimes felt like the assumption was that the leader knows best, rather than acknowledging that in some cases, the right move for an employee might be to leave for a better opportunity. It’s a solid starting point, but I’d recommend complementing it with books that emphasize growth and a more balanced, employee-focused approach to retention.
April 25, 2025
Really useful for anyone managing a team right now
This book hits the mark. The Deadly Sins of Employee Retention breaks down exactly what so many leaders are getting wrong—and more importantly, what to do about it. Mark Murphy doesn’t waste time with fluff. He gets straight to the point with practical advice backed by real data.
I appreciated how readable it was—smart, but not academic. The framework around “shoves and tugs” really stuck with me. It’s a simple way to think about what’s pushing people out the door or pulling them to stay.
If you’ve been dealing with turnover, burnout, or just trying to keep your team engaged, this is absolutely worth the read. It gave me a few things to change right away and a bunch more to keep thinking about.
This book hits the mark. The Deadly Sins of Employee Retention breaks down exactly what so many leaders are getting wrong—and more importantly, what to do about it. Mark Murphy doesn’t waste time with fluff. He gets straight to the point with practical advice backed by real data.
I appreciated how readable it was—smart, but not academic. The framework around “shoves and tugs” really stuck with me. It’s a simple way to think about what’s pushing people out the door or pulling them to stay.
If you’ve been dealing with turnover, burnout, or just trying to keep your team engaged, this is absolutely worth the read. It gave me a few things to change right away and a bunch more to keep thinking about.
October 3, 2023
What new knowledge or information did you gain from this book, training, or experience?
I tend to extend my belief that all life has equal value into the workplace. The simple truth is that although all people are valued, in the scope of how they operate within the corporation, not everyone is equal and not every role is important. I think it has been difficult in the past for me to separate this. When I have to consider someone’s performance I don’t want the person to take it as a personal reflection on themselves. This is likely something I’ve gotten in the habit of doing because I tend to attach my value to my performance. A person is not their work, and I tend to operate by “I am my work and my work is a reflection of who I am” - I’m not sure if that’s healthy. Happy to explain further if that is not clear.
2. How does this connect to or build upon your previous learning?
The third deadly sin talked about how important the first impression is to an employee and how important the first 90 days is for retention. These are things I already aligned with, but it was nice to validate some of the things I have done in onboarding with this. I think in my new role as CIM I should consider how I can implement a version of this with a new client that is being implemented.
3. How do you think this new information will be useful to you and influence your approach going forward?
I liked how the book discussed that if you look for the average person, you will likely not find them - the book literally says “averages lie.” Although averages are important to discuss for performance reporting around metrics, this is a good point to keep in mind when you are having an individual conversation and considering a company-wide initiative. There is never going to be a one-size-fits-all initiative for employee retention, every person on the planet has their own motivations and you need to consider the idiosyncratic nature of people when you are managing them.
I tend to extend my belief that all life has equal value into the workplace. The simple truth is that although all people are valued, in the scope of how they operate within the corporation, not everyone is equal and not every role is important. I think it has been difficult in the past for me to separate this. When I have to consider someone’s performance I don’t want the person to take it as a personal reflection on themselves. This is likely something I’ve gotten in the habit of doing because I tend to attach my value to my performance. A person is not their work, and I tend to operate by “I am my work and my work is a reflection of who I am” - I’m not sure if that’s healthy. Happy to explain further if that is not clear.
2. How does this connect to or build upon your previous learning?
The third deadly sin talked about how important the first impression is to an employee and how important the first 90 days is for retention. These are things I already aligned with, but it was nice to validate some of the things I have done in onboarding with this. I think in my new role as CIM I should consider how I can implement a version of this with a new client that is being implemented.
3. How do you think this new information will be useful to you and influence your approach going forward?
I liked how the book discussed that if you look for the average person, you will likely not find them - the book literally says “averages lie.” Although averages are important to discuss for performance reporting around metrics, this is a good point to keep in mind when you are having an individual conversation and considering a company-wide initiative. There is never going to be a one-size-fits-all initiative for employee retention, every person on the planet has their own motivations and you need to consider the idiosyncratic nature of people when you are managing them.
January 16, 2010
An easy and interesting read. There are useful ideas in the book which I have doubts as to whether I'd be able to get implemented at the office.
June 19, 2021
Good insights in an easy to read format. Great specific actions and recommendations are given.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews