Three thoughts on retaining people
"Start the retention process when the person is still open to staying and not after they have already told you they're leaving." Jeff Weiner
Today more than ever people have choices in where they work. Finding new talent is a big challenge for companies but so too is retaining existing talent. I coach several leaders who face this challenge. I help them problem-solve and develop creative strategies for both hiring and retaining people. Retention was a big deal in the Army. We had retention officers whose sole duty was to help commanders retain talent. They were trained, provided a budget, and given quotas to meet but, even with this robust assistance, it was still the job of leaders to retain great people.
As with everything in leadership, retention starts with a strong foundation - a healthy and inviting workplace where people feel challenged to achieve lofty goals and are supported for their efforts. A workplace foundation where belonging and psychological safety are central. Upon this solid foundation, here are three of my thoughts on retaining people.
Support their exit. This may sound wildly off the mark but what I am talking about here is the conversation which must occur, right away, between leader and led about the journey a person is on, both professional and personal. Their professional journey may take them beyond the walls of your company but you ought to support that and help them achieve that end state. I've always found the leaders who invest in the future of their people, again, professional and personal, are the ones subordinates don't want to leave.
Ask them to stay. This may seem glaringly obvious but it is rarely done. A former boss of mine used to visit soldiers departing the Army. He would ask them why they were leaving. Some stated, "because nobody asked me to stay." Asking them to stay simply means a pat on the back telling them how valued they are. It means inclusion - asking them to be a companion on the road ahead. Acknowledging they have choices, ask them to stay.
Find out what they want. When an officer in my command elected to resign his or her commission and depart the service, I would meet with them to find out why. I wouldn't stand in their way, rather, I wanted to know what it was they were looking for - what they liked and disliked about the Army. I found that many of them did not know or that what they were looking for could be found right where they were. Too often the conversation centers around money, yet money is not the central reason for the unhappiness of people. Your people can probably find more money for less hours somewhere else, but if this is their only criteria for leaving, it is narrow-minded and risky. The money and their extra time will fade quickly in an environment where they are not cared for.
As a leader, even a CEO, you cannot control everything. There are bigger, badder companies out there who want your talent. There always will be. What you can control, however, is the environment you establish and the conversations you have. If they must leave, thank them and send them off professionally, but long before that moment, ask them to stay.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell