Seven Ways to Immediately Improve Retention

Retaining top talent should always be a focus of leaders and organizations. However, during times of high employment, or an historic Great Resignation, the topic gets more attention. There are many facets to talent retention. Too often, individual leaders look to the organization and/or HR to find solutions that keep the best talent onboard. Yet, there is much individual leaders can do to improve talent retention.

The Leader’s Role

There are many things people look for when choosing their work. Fair compensation is just the start. Too many leaders assume retention and turnover hinge solely on factors like pay, benefits, and policies that lie outside of their individual control. All those things matter, of course. But what plays an even larger role in their desire to stay – or willingness to look elsewhere and leave? Their experience with their boss.

The Seven Ways

What can leaders do to improve talent retention? Here are seven specific and immediately implementable ideas.

Say please and thank you

After we teach children their names, “please” and “thank you” are among the first words we want them to learn. We know these words show respect and appreciation for others. Having positional power doesn’t mean you must (or can) demand things. Just because “it is their job” doesn’t mean we can’t (or shouldn’t) say thank you work well done. If you appreciate what people are doing, are you letting them know?

Ask for opinions

Your team members have a perspective on the work that you don’t have. In many cases, they are doing work you never did. Even if they are doing your former job, things have likely changed since you did it. Asking for the opinions of others shows respect and appreciation for them. And it will help you arrive at better decisions.

Listen

When you ask for those opinions, you better listen to their ideas! Asking doesn’t mean you always have to implement what you hear. But asking without really listening to understand might be worse than not ever asking. Work to be a better listener in all your interactions with team members.

Trust more

One way to show your trust is by becoming a more active and effective listener. But there are plenty of ways to show your trust in your team. Two other ways to show your team members you trust them - delegate more responsibilities and micromanage less.

Provide feedback

Feedback needn’t be all negative. Nor should it all be saved for the annual review or emergency situations. Let people know how they are doing often. Show them what is working and encourage them to continue. Help them see where they can make corrections and adjustments. We all want to do good work and know how we are doing. Regular feedback allows both to happen.

Ask for feedback

Who better to give you feedback on you as a leader than those you are leading? And what better way to show your trust than by asking those same people how you are doing? Asking for feedback is one of the best things you can do as a leader. It will show you want to improve and give you input so that you can.

Communicate the big picture

People want more than a paycheck; they want to do work that makes a difference. When we as leaders help them see where the work leads, who it helps, how they are making a difference, they are less likely to leave. People find their own meaning in work, but not in a vacuum. Make sure people see how what they do matters and is making a difference.

Read this list again and ask yourself two questions:

• Do I want to work for a leader that regularly does these things?
• Everything else equal (or even close), would I more likely stay to continue to work for that person?

Assuming your answers are like mine, there is just one more question …

Where Will You Start?

There is nothing on the above list that is shocking or new. Just because they aren’t new, doesn’t mean they can’t improve talent retention. All are things you have done and can do – starting today. Doing any of them will help. Doing all of them will make a bigger positive difference than you can imagine. You will get better relationships, better results, and improve retention of your most important asset – your people.

But you must start somewhere. Resolve to work on one of these suggestions immediately. The beauty of the list is that none require a new policy, a decision from senior management, or additional training. Pick one and start right now.