Things Are Looking Up

By Gayle Lantz

Things are looking up, but some employees may be looking out -- outside of your organization -- and they're likely to be your stars.

According to recent research by the Corporate Leadership Council:

• One in four intend to leave their employer within the year.
• One in five believes their personal aspirations differ from their employer's plan.
• Four out of 10 have little confidence in their coworkers and even less confidence in the senior team.

I've enjoyed coaching many stars over the years. Some clients have sought coaching on their own to achieve specific business, leadership or career goals. Others have participated in coaching programs offered through their employer. All are highly motivated, eager to learn and hungry for ideas, insights and feedback to help them be most successful. Executive coaching (whether internal or external) is just one means to develop and retain your top talent.

Here are other ideas for keeping your best talent:

Keep them in the loop. Internal communication is a top priority for organizations that care about engaging and retaining employees. Improve official and informal communication with employees. Schedule short team meetings to share updates or gain input. In the absence of information, people make their own assumptions.

Challenge them. Give your stars a major project or assignment that helps them stretch. Get them out of their comfort zone. They'll grow faster. Ideally the projects should align with the employees' interests and aspirations.

Highlight the good news. More executives report they see 'glimmers of hope' on the horizon. Talk about expected success. Make optimism contagious in your work force. It beats pessimism which can destroy your business.

Strengthen your leadership team. A successful business is based on the strength of its leaders. Top leadership talent is the most difficult and costly to replace. Stars are never content with status quo. Determine what aspects of your leadership team need improvement.

What are the best specific opportunities developing in your business?

Your Assignment:

On your own, or with your team...

• Identify the top three to five specific business opportunities you expect to develop over the next six months to a year. Examples include: potential new projects, contracts, products, services, clients, markets served, referral sources, etc.
• Prioritize the opportunities, however you define them.
• Confirm the human, technical and financial resources needed. (NOW is the time to recruit the top talent you need! Help those who are underperforming move on to positions that are a better fit.)
• Develop or modify your plan for each of the top opportunities.
• Determine milestones or measures of success to include in your plan.
• Anticipate any obstacles and how you'll overcome them.
• Revisit your plan regularly.

A Key to Employee Engagement

Employee disengagement is rampant. By helping employees develop opportunities, you'll increase the level of engagement among employees. They want to be engaged. If you ignore the issue, you risk losing your top talent -- especially as the economy rebounds.

As you reach for the stars, keep your own stars looking up -- at opportunities to grow themselves and the business.