How do you engage and retain your top performers and successors?

I think it is important to be intentional about embedding an equity and diversity lens in identifying top performers and top successors. Most organizations lack representation at the senior management level. You can start addressing this by identifying successors and high performers who are diverse and supporting them in their development and retention. It is key to have performance, feedback or career conversations often. They cannot be done once a year. They should be continuous and the goals set should be developed together and be meaningful and achievable.

It also helps to consider those who have the most influence and whom others follow. They need the skills and the desire to grow and help others grow with them. Aligning with the vision and values is important. If they are influencers and don't align, others won't align.

Make sure you have a really clear definition of success that is relevant to the role and defines both the "what" and the "how". These should be clearly outlined with specific and measurable metrics in both the current role, and potential stretch assignments and successor roles. Define what success looks like in terms of the skills, abilities and knowledge, along with the outcomes that are required to succeed in a particular role and task. Then define the "how" by focusing on fostering constructive relationships and upholding ethical standards.

First, you'll need to find out what makes them tick. Usually it's different things for A-Players, but some common ones are: - Paying them well - Growth & Advancement - High impact projects - Awards/Recognition - Continuous Learning/Upskilling Being able to provide more than 1 of this will help you retain your top talent.

Keep a pulse on the team! When you listen to your people, they feel valued and acknowledged – and it helps you to grow and adapt as a leader. There are different ways to create the feedback loops, so you can find the ones that are most authentic to your team and leadership style. Whether that’s through surveys, one-on-one meetings, focus groups or other channels, actively seeking feedback shows that you are putting your people first. When communication is a two-way street, your teammates will feel heard and more invested in outcomes, and your team will be stronger as a result. So, as you think about your top performers, consider the power of engagement. Your top performer will standout and an thrive!

Even tough each high potential person has to individually develop leadership skills to be ready to take on larger and more complex responsibilities, the process of supporting these efforts effectively is done better by doing it in cohorts. Growing together in comprehensive and interconnected group initiatives has proven to me a better tool for organizational leadership development, than just supporting each of them individually upon demand. Group organized development efforts create a more competitive environment, as well as better engagement from supporting partners, which is fundamental for high potentials to be exposed to heat experiences, adequate training, coaching and mentorship, as well as a more robust sensemaking and exposure.

The worst way to develop top performers is to pile more work and projects on them. Most high performers want the opportunity for advancement so they will take on whatever you give them, but having honest and transparent conversations about their career goals will help both sides make sure the assignments are relevant and purposeful.

Provide meaningful work: Top performers want to work on projects that are challenging, stimulating, and align with their personal and professional goals. Ensure that the work you assign to them is meaningful and allows them to develop their skills. Foster a positive work environment: A positive work environment can go a long way in retaining top performers. Ensure that your organization fosters a culture of respect, inclusivity, open communication, and collaboration. Encourage feedback and provide a safe space for employees to share their ideas and concerns.

Individuals don't win; teams do. Look at talent as you would a sports team. What strengths are you missing? What personality types or specialties need to be balanced out or supported? How will you use your star performers to bring others along? Developing teams as a unit, to learn from and lean on the strengths that others bring, is just as important as looking at individual skill sets. Leverage insights from standardized personality testing or communication indexes to show you existing gaps and indicate what is missing on the team.

Make sure to consider different growth paths for your talented team members. If you only focus on leadership programs, you might miss out on the unique abilities of other individuals. It's important to appreciate the roles of experts, technicians, and those who excel at bringing people together. These individuals might not fit the typical mold of "high potentials," but they contribute significantly to your organization's well-being. There should be clear definitions of high performers and successors in many different roles. By nurturing a variety of talents, you can help your team and organization flourish, and develop and recognize a wide range of critical performance.

Recognizing achievements goes a long way. Supported by continuous feedback from coaching and performance conversations this goes a long way. Just like feedback I think it is essential to recognize achievement continuosly even if not always tied to monetary outcomes.

Make sure people have the independence and autonomy to do their job effectively, while having the appropriate supports. Top performers are the most able and capable of finding another position if they aren't happy! The job demands-resources model can be helpful here: Job demands refer to the challenges and pressures that come with a role, such as workload, tight deadlines, or complex tasks. High job demands can lead to stress, burnout and turnover when people don't have the appropriate resources to do their job to their maximum ability. Job resources, on the other hand, are the tools, support, and opportunities that help employees cope with job demands like autonomy, training, feedback and clear deliverables.

Offer competitive compensation and benefits packages that align with industry standards and reflect the value of the employee's contributions. Provide opportunities for professional development and career advancement, including training programs, mentorship opportunities, and leadership development initiatives. It's also important to provide a positive work environment and company culture that values employee engagement and work-life balance. Regularly solicit feedback from employees to identify areas for improvement and implement changes to address their concerns.

Keep them engaged. One of the best ways is to put them on exciting projects that will help them keep on developing their skillset. If you leave them doing the same thing over and over, they are likely to seek a new challenge elsewhere.

Get leaders curious and make it a part of their mission to mine the unique genius of each employee. Creating a nimble and open talent marketplace within your organization where people are empowered to do their best work will not only drive loyalty through personal fulfillment, it will have a profound impact on business outcomes critical to making it in the current world of work. Are you using your unique genius?

Communication is key. Some companies choose to keep succession plans within the confines of executive leadership which leads to ambiguity for employees. Employees need to know how their career could potentially shape out within your organization and how their contributions are positioning them for advancement.

Communication is always key. It is important to have a roadmap, not only for your own succession, but for the succession of the levels below you. Just as you cannot move up without having a successor in place, that person also needs a successor. Allowing employees to have input into their own succession planning makes them invested in the process, and excited for their own growth as well as growth for their teams. When your direct reports and their direct reports both see that there is upward mobility and growth within the organization, there is greater employee engagement and retention.

Start by clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of the key positions in the organization and identifying potential successors for each role. Then, communicate the succession plan to all relevant stakeholders, including executives, managers, and employees. Be transparent about the criteria for selecting successors and provide opportunities for feedback and input from stakeholders. It's also important to provide training and development opportunities to potential successors to ensure they are prepared for future roles. Finally, regularly review and update the succession plan to ensure it remains aligned with the organization's strategic objectives and evolving talent needs.

All companies state that they want to foster a culture of collaboration and innovation, and they should because without it, their companies will definitely lose their edge in a highly competitive market. However, many leaders today are resistant to change. Many prefer the old and tested methods of doing things, and whenever an employee suggests something new, they shut it down almost immediately by giving a list of excuses as to why that idea won't work. Creative employees don't thrive in an environment that is averse of change, they end up leaving instead. In order to retain talent, leaders mustn't feel threatened by different solutions, opinions and creativity in their businesses. They need to empower their collaborators.

Identify potential successors for key positions and involve them in the development of their own career plans. Provide regular feedback and coaching to help them develop their skills and gain new experiences that will prepare them for future roles within the organization. Seek input and feedback from top performers and potential successors to ensure that the succession planning process remains aligned with their career aspirations and the evolving needs of the organization.

Retention in the Future of Work will need to be personal. People are motivated by so many different things. Many people prefer a remote or hybrid situation. Flexibility will be important in many jobs of the future. Some employees want promotions and titles, and others prefer to mentor. Some employees need a raise, and others would love their tuition paid for. Some moms would love to pick up their children on time, and start earlier. Find their motivation for coming to work every day. Be grateful for their efforts, and reward the employee in public with parts of their dream. There are many places to work. Show them that you care, and they will stay.

To keep top performers and successors engaged, regularly check on their progress and celebrate their successes in a way that is personalized and meaningful to them. Offer support and growth opportunities where needed. The success of this approach relies on clear communication and openness. Make sure everyone knows how the evaluation process works and why it's important. Answer questions and address concerns to help employees feel comfortable with the process.

There's a coaching aspect here. Coach with care. Showing care requires a personal touch. It requires you to create a consistent environment every day. Its involves figuring out what triggers people and skillfully addressing what is needed in a way that makes people want to change, listen and moving along with you...without hitting unneccesary 'landminds'. This will also decrease temporary alligence.

Define key performance indicators (KPIs) that are relevant to the program or initiative being evaluated. Then, collect data on these KPIs using surveys, feedback forms, and other measurement tools. Analyze the data to identify trends, areas for improvement, and successes. Use this information to make data-driven decisions and adjust the program or initiative as needed. Regularly monitoring and evaluating outcomes allows HR to measure the impact of their initiatives and make adjustments to ensure that they are achieving the desired results.

Choosing meaningful KPIs to evaluate your talent development initiatives is just as important as setting meaningful goals for development. The Program should be flexible and nimble and be able to change and adapt in response to the KPIs and feedback from KPIs, from staff and from senior leadership.