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retaining talent

A good article appeared last week in Forbes’ online magazine about how to retain top talent.  Actually, it sought to answer the question: “Why does top talent leave?”  The author boiled ten reasons down to two primary factors:

  • Top talent doesn’t like being poorly managed
  • Top talent doesn’t like “organizational lameness” (shifting priorities, no vision, uninspiring atmosphere)

So, to flip this over to the positive side, how do you retain top talent?

If you are a manager, learn to manage well.  Your staff or employees don’t require perfection; but they respond well to a leader who is growing and sharpening their skills.  If you are in a hiring position, hire managers with good people skills.  Competencies can be supplemented with additional hands and feet.  You can’t contract out people skills.

Secondly, examine your culture.  High capacity people want to make more than a marginal difference.  They can’t swim long in the waters of mediocrity.  They want to share in creating and living the vision.  Inspired people do inspiring things.

To read the original “ten reasons” article, click here.