This paper explores leader-rated performance as one such situational cue that will affect a follower’s promotion focus or prevention focus, which will increase and decrease her/his intention to leave for another organization. The hypotheses were supported with data collected from 133 supervisor-subordinate dyads in a mix of companies in Hong Kong. The findings demonstrate that the stronger the leader-rated performance, the stronger the promotion and prevention focus of followers. Insofar as people in a promotion focus are eager to seek new options for further advancement, and those in a prevention focus are vigilant to safeguard the current option. The study implies that as promotion focused followers are preoccupied with better options for advancement, leaders should go beyond coaching and feedback and offer increasingly challenging or innovative tasks that demand individual proactivity and creativity. In so doing, promotion-focused employees are provided with more opportunities to satisfy their eagerness to seek escalating successes within the current organization.

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