Top 5 reasons engineers quit their jobs in Australia

A few weeks ago, I got promoted to Regional Director at Plan A Technologies. Someone asked me: "So you're leaving architecture behind?" My answer surprised them: "Actually, no." Turns out, you can say yes to new opportunities without saying yes to everything. Here's what 15+ years in tech taught me about career decisions: The fastest way to grow isn't accepting every opportunity. It's being ruthlessly selective about which ones actually move you forward. 3 rules I follow when making career decisions: 1. Does it build on what I'm already great at? Regional Director + Architecture isn't random. It's leveraging technical depth to lead better. Adding responsibilities that have zero connection to your strengths? That's just busy work with a fancy title. 2. Can I actually say no to the wrong things? Every yes to something new requires a no to something else. I said no to purely managerial roles because I'd lose my technical edge. What are you saying no to? 3. Does it give me leverage or just more tasks? Leading Latin American teams while staying technical gives me leverage. Managing 50 direct reports with no coding time? That's just email hell with better compensation. 📌 The best career moves multiply your skills—they don't replace them. Most developers think promotions mean abandoning what made them valuable. Spoiler: That's how you become a mediocre manager instead of an exceptional leader. Smart career decisions aren't about climbing faster. They're about climbing in a direction where your strengths actually matter. Want more insights on strategic career moves? I break down lessons from navigating 15+ years of promotions, pivots, and smart "no's" in my weekly newsletter. Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/dcsDN7_y

Earlier this week, I talked about how I ended up in management by necessity, not ambition. I want to talk about the bigger pattern I've seen play out across the industry. We tell people: work hard, get good at your job, move up the ladder. But here's what we don't tell them: every rung on that ladder is a completely different job. 🐉 Senior Engineer → Manager: You stop writing code. You start managing people, politics, and priorities. Almost nothing transfers except maybe some technical credibility. 🐉 Manager → Director: You stop solving blockers for your team. You start teaching other people how to solve blockers. The skills that made you great in the weeds don't scale. It's not even the Peter Principle. It's worse. We're promoting people into jobs that have nothing to do with what made them good at the last one — and then acting surprised when they struggle. Here's the thing: some skills do transfer. But they're not the ones we test for. Empathy. Judgment. Curiosity. Integrity. The ability to stay calm when things are on fire. A genuine love of learning. These are the skills that help people navigate these transitions successfully. But we don't hire or promote for those. At every level, we optimize for the wrong things. We promote the best engineers, not the best potential leaders. We promote the best executors, not the best teachers. We promote the best politicians, not the best culture-builders. And then we wonder why so many people burn out, resent the role or damage the teams they were supposed to lead. These aren't just promotions. They're career pivots. Different skills. Different success metrics. Different support needed. If we keep pretending otherwise, we're going to keep burning out good people and promoting the wrong ones.

It's not the bad hires holding you back. It's the mediocre ones. These are the “safe” hires - reliable on the surface, but in reality they lower the bar, stall innovation, and hold teams back. Unlike bad hires, who are usually dealt with quickly, mediocre hires linger for years, quietly draining momentum and opportunity. In this month’s blog, Vantage Partner Eileen Linnabery, Ph.D., explains why mediocrity is the real threat to long-term success and how leaders can stop settling. Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/g2YYyhRr

Forget bonuses. Forget Targets. ❌ The secret to high performance is 3 words 👇✨ Most leaders get motivation wrong. They think it’s about pay rises, targets, and KPI’s. It isn’t. The science is clear. Real performance comes from three drivers: 🚀 Autonomy, 🎯 Mastery, 🌍 Purpose. Dan Pink popularised it. The data backs it. 🚀 Autonomy People want control over how they work. Not chaos, but choice with accountability. 📊 Studies show autonomy and engagement explain nearly 60% of performance variance. 💡 Google’s “20% time” where colleagues could ‘do their own thing’ led to Gmail and Maps. How to use it ✔️ Give freedom on the ‘how’. ✔️ Offer flex time where possible. ✔️ Run an autonomy audit: ask “does this task really need my sign-off?” 🎯 Mastery We crave progress. Getting better feels good. It also keeps people loyal. 📈 94% of employees say they’d stay longer if companies invested in learning. 🔑 Mastery climates are linked to retention and resilience. How to use it ✔️ Set stretch projects. ✔️ Give fast feedback. ✔️ Pair people in mentoring or peer coaching. 🌍 Purpose Work must mean something. People commit when they see the bigger “why.” 📊 70% of employees say work defines their sense of purpose. 🔥 Purpose-driven employees are 4x more engaged. How to use it ✔️ Share stories of impact. ✔️ Connect metrics to human outcomes. ✔️ Ask, “who benefits from the work we’re doing this week?” Try this 📝 Run an AMP retrospective. Three columns: Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose. Ask your team what helps, what blocks, and what to test next month. Pick one experiment. Keep it small. 🚀 Autonomy. 🎯 Mastery. 🌍 Purpose. Not buzzwords. Business levers. Design for them and you’ll unlock energy, creativity, and commitment. That’s how you build high performance that lasts. ♻️ Repost for your network (and look super clever while doing it.) 📌Follow 👋 David Meade for science-backed strategies you can use this week.

📊 Studies show autonomy and engagement explain nearly 60% of performance variance. 💡 Google’s “20% time” where colleagues could ‘do their own thing’ led to Gmail and Maps. Could not agree more David Meade Keynote Speaker 💯

High-performing teams don't happen by chance. Great post by: Lise Kuecker Original post below ⬇️⬇️⬇️ High-performing teams don't happen by chance. They're built with purpose. We've built a team that: → Trusts each other. → Challenges each other.  → Pushes our mission forward every day. And I'm proud of each and every member because they give it their all. High performers don't just need freedom. They need to be challenged, inspired and well taken care of. Magic happens when you get that right. I've learned a lot from building such strong teams over the years. These are the most important things to keep in mind: 1. Surround them with people at the same level. ↳ If one person under-delivers, the whole team feels it. 2. Give them room to lead. ↳ They want to perform. Offer them a shot at owning success. 3. Understand your company is a vessel for their growth. ↳ If your org chart caps their development, you'll lose them. 4. High pay doesn't equal high performance. ↳ Hire people who've led real success stories. 5. Don't micromanage, but don't stay silent either. ↳ If something goes wrong, let them know and trust them to fix it. That's how you build a team that scales with you. They won't just do the necessary work, they'll go above and beyond each time. What does a high-performing team look like to you? ______________ Follow for more Useful Infographics

Really thoughtful piece on how middle managers/line managers can manage the tension of leading in a time of evolving expectations. https://lnkd.in/griKvP7R

At growth stage, “just admin support” isn’t enough. Scaling from startup to growth feels like building the ladder as you climb it. What once worked, basic scheduling, email triage, quickly turns into a bottleneck. That’s why executive support has to evolve. A high-functioning EA becomes: ⚡ An execution partner who tracks progress and clears blockers ⚡ A comms buffer that filters noise and amplifies clarity ⚡ A systems auditor who patches handoffs before they leak ⚡ A culture carrier who keeps your team aligned as you grow When you redefine support, you don’t just survive scaling; you accelerate it. 🔗 Read our full blog by Daniel Herrera: https://lnkd.in/erVtX7yr #ExecutiveAssistant #FounderLife #ScalingSmart #Leadership

Great teams aren’t found. They’re built with intention, one hire at a time. Hiring more people is easy. The hard part: Building the right team that fuels growth. Want to grow your team and grow it well? Do these 5 things first ⬇️ Here’s where I’d start if I had to grow a team tomorrow: 1️⃣ Hire for Outcomes, Not Titles → Don’t just copy competitors’ job titles. → Hire for outcome. → Every new seat is tied to a business-critical result. Define what success looks like in 6–12 months, then hire for that. 2️⃣ Design a Clear Hiring Process Top talent won’t stick around for unwarranted chaos. → Lock in stages before you start hiring → Give candidates a great experience → Move fast with clear feedback loops A strong hiring process builds your reputation and your pipeline. 3️⃣ Onboard Like Growth Depends on It (it does) The first 90 days make or break new hires. → Clarify priorities from day one → Assign a buddy or mentor → Give quick feedback early Fast, structured onboarding = faster ramp-up = faster growth. 4️⃣ Coach Instead of Control As your team grows, you can’t solve everything yourself. → Ask: “What options have you considered?” → Give ownership, not just instructions → Build problem-solvers who scale with you That’s how you multiply, not bottleneck, capacity. 5️⃣ Protect Focus During Growth Every new hire adds complexity. → Cut the noise → Prioritise ruthlessly → Keep everyone aligned on the things that matter most Without focus, growth collapses under its own weight. 👉 The truth many leaders miss? Growing a team isn’t about adding headcount. It’s about hiring the right people, setting them up to succeed, and creating the space where they can thrive. Nail one of these, do it well, then layer in the rest. That’s how you grow a team that actually scales with your business. 💡 Which of these 5 would move the needle most for your team right now? DM "STRATEGY" for access to my Hiring Blueprint -- ♻️ Share this to help others ➕ Follow Mieke Contreras for more