When you find an excellent employee, retention is of the upmost importance. Here are a few top tips to keep in mind to reduce turn-over and develop a succession plan to create positive company morale and a positive bottom line.
1. Turn a compliment into an interview. When an employee does an excellent job, don't merely praise her. Pinpoint the strengths of her accomplishment and ask her how she did it - in other words, to share her process. The interview will bring to consciousness - both yours and hers - insights that can be transferred to new tasks.
2. Analyse how people think, not just what they do. Performance assessments rightly focus on the achievement of goals and other measurable markers of success. However, what's often behind such accomplishments is a way of thinking, particular to an individual that made success possible. Describe those habits of mind in the employee's next evaluation.
3. Ask for the reasons behind preferences. Good managers know what their individual employees like to do (what tasks they enjoy, which projects motivate them). Great managers find out why someone has those preferences - i.e., which project characteristics are the root sources of fulfilment.
4. Inquire about people's dreams. "David, if you could be in an entirely different career, what would it be?" If David says he always wanted to be a translator, ask him if he'd like to give working with international clients a whirl. By getting a little taste of his dream in his current position, David is more likely to feel fulfilled than if he keeps treading water - and less likely to get restless and head out to sea.
Treating each employee as an ocean of talent allows you to find troves of precious gems. What hidden treasures have you discovered in your employees? And what jewels of your own have you brought to the surface because a manager cared enough to look for them?
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