5 Ways to Retain Your Top Talent

Note: Michael – in my Chrome browser – the post text and question is hidden by the embedded image..

I noticed Recognition was the top score. I also noticed you mentioned ‘self-awareness’ as the place to start. When we combine these, we get something very valuable – awareness of how to recognise an individual.

Recognition is critical for sure – but everyone needs recognising in the way which matters to them. This is individual and depends on a person’s driver and motivators, their core values.

Some people are motivated by money – because that helps them provide security for their family and create the lifestyle they want. They’re not interested so much in letters, they want a bonus.

Some people are driven by personal growth – recognise and reward them by giving them a special book, or sending them on a training course, so they can become better at what they do, and therefore provide higher value..

If we reward someone in a way which doesn’t speak to their values, it can actually de-motivate them, because they feel mis-understood and therefore un-recognised, even though they are being thanked.

Also, talents are key – and the easiest way to retain the best talent is to use it, and reward it. As mentioned in an earlier posy, talent is only a strength when success depends upon it. 

Employ people in positions in which their success depends upon them using their natural and unique talents.

Reward people by understanding what their unique drivers and motivators are, how they love most to be rewarded.

With these two things, you value the individual, and enable them to be of maximum value to the organisation.

There are some powerful tools available where we can measure these so-called intangibles – natural talents and motivators.

The difference then is not just retaining the talent, but performance increases, greater fulfilment, less stress, more effective recruiting..

The key is personalisation..

Great thought provoking post Michael – thanks again,
Paul.

Fantastic advice, Michael. I agree – we spend so many resources attracting talent and not enough retaining it. Of course, to me, the underlying issue is a lack of leadership dedication to serving the employees (see the Servant Leadership Manifesto). Beyond that, some of MSL’s most popular posts were related to Being the best boss you can be. These posts were short parables that revealed how managers can better understand what it’s like for a Day in the Life of Your Staff, the broaderTeam, and also, for the staff to have a better understanding of a Day in the Life of Your Boss.

In addition to considering the above perspectives, I believe regular check-ins are critical. No communication beats a one-on-one conversation with your team when it comes to retaining talent (related to your points 1,4 & 5) . Too often, managers get “too busy” and the regular check-ins are the first meetings to get moved. What message does that send the employee? How valued do you think that makes the employee feel?

Thank you for sharing all these great points!

Excellent Michael, and all have been contributing factors in me changing my roles on occasion. One of my current binds is not that my boss is a jerk – quite the opposite! He’s far TOO nice and a a result, little is achieved also! I always find insight in your posts. Thank you. Actually, I may print this and post anonymously to our seniors, see if they aquire any insight too! :) Best regards, AndyLivers.

Tough to read this.. cause every reason rung true to me on why I left. 

I would love feedback on how to be recognized as top talent.  Especially now with such a saturated job market, it is tough to stand out.  I’d be interested in how you’d recommend someone in my position (low man on the totem pole looking for a better job) go about being desirable to people who make personel decisions.

Thanks for a great post, yet again!

I give my team thank you notes…personal notes on blank, decorative note cards. I also will buy sticky notes and some mechanical pencils or colored pens, split them up, and leave one, of their favorite color, on each person’s desk with a note of appreciation on the sticky note. Design and Production people love new mechanical pencils or colored pens or sticky notes. It seems like a little thing. But as long as the sentiment is sincere, the small items speak volumes.
I agree that people love to be appreciated. Acknowledgement that you see their efforts is huge. 

Everyone on my team gets to have “the talk” when they start. The talk is an exploration of the question: If you could do anything, no limitations, and make a living at it, what would you do?
Once we get to that answer, which is really about job characteristics, not titles or functions, I tell them that my job as a manager is to find a position like that for them within the company. I tell them that their job is to become a complete rock star, indispensable at what they do today. That way, when the “perfect” job comes up I can endorse them wholeheartedly. On the surface it seems counter-intuitive but when they know someone is looking out for them it frees them up to be good at what they’re doing currently without the need to expend the same energy on finding the next thing.
You’d be surprised how many people get better at what they do when they know someone is looking out for them and even more surprised how easy it is to start finding positions that match people’s instinctual best fit once you know where to look. One of my greatest joy as a manager of people has been moving folks off my team and into jobs that have their dream characteristics and the benefits to the organization are almost incalculable. 

Job flexibility is a leading driver of retention, according to the Alliance for Work-Life Progress. People want more control over when, where and how they do their job to match their work style and life responsibilities. The best companies integrate telecommuting and other flexible work arrangements (e.g., reduced hours, job sharing, sabbaticals) as part of their business strategy; enhanced productivity, engagement, retention and talent recruitment are among the documented bottom-line benefits. 

As a Sr. Staffing Consultant at Helping You Hire http://www.staffing-solutions.biz/staffing-solutions.html,
I’ve seen many companies lose stellar employees, only to call my staffing
agency stupefied as to why. And after talking “real” with that employee who
just gave notice, I often hear variations of the same thing. At some level the
employee didn’t feel validated. It’s seems so simple really, but it appears
there’s a common theme amongst c-level executives and managers. It’s that they
don’t take the time to tell their employees how valued they are, how much they’re
appreciated and that their contributions get noticed. I imagine on some level
employers figure employees should already know how valued they are and that it
should be obvious, perhaps with that raise last year, or even that promotion. Unfortunately
that’s not the case at all. People need to hear it regularly. In fact, people
will work harder, if they know someone has actually taken notice.  We basically all want and need the same thing;
that’s validation. We need to know that we’re good at our jobs, that people
notice and that we matter.

I know it’s difficult for many people to express themselves,
both in their personal lives and at work. However I’d recommend that all of
those executives and managers out there, that have a hard time telling people
how they feel, just fake it until they make it; force yourselves to say
something nice to every employee on your team, every day. It doesn’t have to be
fake or forced, but I bet you’ll find that it gets easier over time, until one
day you’ll not even realize you’re doing it. I think you’d be surprised how far
that will towards retaining top talent.