Mike Gardner, president and co-founder of PerselGardner, has been authoring a series of popular columns for the Capitol Communicator related to today’s job market. In this column, he discusses five things to do to keep top talent.
My two older kids are really into playing board games, and one of their favorites is the Game of Life. During the past long weekend, we spent like three hours playing the game, only to have my 11-year-old beat the pants off of us. He is a really good player. During the game, he always chooses to take the career path, and always ends up as a doctor or lawyer making a huge salary. Then he gets married, has children, wins the lottery, chooses the best long-term investment, buys a weekend home and ultimately retires at Millionaire Estates, and goes on to win the game. Only last weekend, his usual luck took a drastic change. About midway though the game, he lost his job, and had to take a much lower salary. Then he had an accident, got sued and lost most of his money. After I commented on this unusual streak of bad luck and asked him if he wanted to continue, my son simply responded: “Dad, I don’t care how much I make or how bad things are going, I just love playing this game”.
Out of the mouth of an eleven-year-old came an important perspective: If you love what you do, you are less likely to throw in the towel despite how difficult the challenge may be. Given the economic state we are in today, this is a critical lesson for employers who are looking not only to fill an open position, but also to retain the talent they already have.
Important to note is that retaining talent is less about the state of the economy and more about being committed to doing a few important things regularly regardless of the how the economy is performing. Managing and retaining top talent requires a commitment from the hiring manager that begins on day one when a new employee joins the organization, and gets reinforced through simple actions throughout the duration of their stay. Do these things well and great talent will stick around. Ignore them and great talent will likely go away.
Several great managers have recently shared some key insights with me about how to retain great talent, and I’d like to share them with you, so that you too can benefit.
The Keys to Talent Retention:
1. Be approachable. Keep an interest in what your employees are doing, relate to them on both a personal and a professional level. Don’t be afraid to laugh, smile and have fun. Your employee has selected to work with you because they like working with you!
2. Be Available. Keep the door open, and make your team your priority. You might have a million meetings to attend, but the most important meetings need to be those, which you have with your team. Nobody wants to be an island, and if the employee can’t get to you for insights, advice, etc, they are going to look elsewhere for this important support.
3. Be Straightforward, Honest, and Provide Feedback. If the employee is doing an outstanding job, let them know it. If they aren’t, let them know it. Just don’t sugarcoat it. An employee who always knows where they stand with their boss is going to benefit more than someone who doesn’t. The employee who receives consistent, honest feedback has the ability to make improvements to course correct and will be grateful.
4. Work hard to clear the way. Managers who spend their time clearing obstacles for their employees ignite and foster a team spirit of accomplishment. They gain credibility, and show that they are committed to making the team successful while also showing that they aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and get to work.
5. On a daily basis, demonstrate why you choose to come to work - regardless of the specific reason, it’s usually because you love what you do. In small ways, reinforce with your employees why you have made a commitment to your organization.
Loving your job is contagious. It rubs off on those around you, and those who are on the outside will notice this, and will quickly want to be in the inside. Those on this inside will want to stick around, and will look forward to playing another round of the game.
(PerselGardner, www.perselgardner.com, an innovative staffing firm specializing in superior advertising, marketing and public relations talent based in Washington, DC. PerselGardner has a method of drawing out from candidates and clients exactly what their mission is, work style, preferences, and passions. The firm then carefully match-makes with those who share similar points of view.)