The future of your organization depends on retaining a team of A-Players equipped to take on the roles of the future. Good succession planning requires developing a steady stream of strong talent in the pipeline. But what can you do today to retain your top talent and avoid another mass exodus like “The Great Resignation” earlier this decade?
If you’re concerned about losing the very people who could keep your company going strong into the future, let’s explore what’s not working, and what you can do about it.
Why A-Players Leave: A Look at Expectations
Perhaps you’ve already tagged certain individuals as “high potential”: likely to rise in the ranks of your organization. I may have some bad news for you: chances are they’re more disengaged with their work than you think. Studies have shown that as many as 20-33% of the “high-potentials” say they lack personal connection and commitment to their company. A-Players who aren’t truly engaged will probably leave, creating a slow leak in the talent pipeline that feeds your succession planning.
That’s tragic, since A-Players are those exceptionally motivated people who would give their best efforts to an organization—if they felt aligned with it. Driven to see their efforts pay off, A-Players deliver on their promises and even motivate others to rise to new levels of performance. Clearly these are the kind of people who could become the future backbone of your company—if you can keep them.
So, what makes such valuable workers disengage and ultimately walk away? Their reasons vary, but most have to do with expectations. Disengaged and departing workers say they experience:
- Burdensome, unreasonable job requirements
- Lack of appreciation and/or recognition
- No clear path to career advancement
- No room to adjust for key life events
- Management/leadership that does not inspire confidence
I recently met a young executive in the hospitality industry who was clearly an A-Player. Because her boss failed to deliver the clarity, direction and leadership she expected, she decided to leave her management role and move to a new hotel group. Her decision was not about the pay or benefits or working environment. It was a case of the employer falling short on their promises. Top talent left the team because A-Players do not work for B-Players or C-Players, at least not for long.
Expectations are powerful things—and both employers and employees have them. Problems arise when the two sets of expectations don’t line up. Take the first reason on the above list. Job requirements feel “unreasonable” when the job description fails to express the full scope of an employer’s expectations—or when additional requirements get piled on later.
Employers may layer on further “unreasonableness” when they assume someone they’ve labeled “high-potential” or an “A-Player” possesses the skills—or the capability to learn them—needed for very different role. An individual’s outstanding performance in one position may not be an accurate predictor of equally high performance in another. Expectations based on assumptions won’t serve anyone well.
By the same token, an employee may harbor idealized expectations which their job was never designed to meet. For example, a worker may expect their job to morph into remote work in the future, when that option was never a real possibility. That disappointed employee is then surprised that their expectations seem unreasonable to the employer.
Both parties need to be forthright about what they want from the other. (This is where regular, open communication comes in, as we’ll see momentarily.)
Job requirements are not the only point where expectations may go unmet. Good employees rightly expect to be appreciated on the job—to be recognized for their contributions. Employers might expect A-Players to be so internally motivated that they need no praise or external reward. But this is false. Your best workers still need to hear that their capabilities are recognized for the valuable difference they make. A-Players who feel taken for granted are likely to look for a better situation.
I was acutely aware of this when running my car dealership group. A-Players know their market value and it is easy for them to find another job if they feel their efforts are not appreciated. This was especially true for top car sales executives. Not only could they move easily but often they would take their loyal customers with them to another dealership.
A-Players also expect to grow in their chosen careers. Highly motivated individuals who see no pathway to advancing professionally feel stuck at a dead end. They will become restless and unengaged—and start hunting for greater opportunities.
When they experience important personal milestones—say, getting married or having a baby, for instance— A-Players expect their job to accommodate their work-life balance as it shifts. If the current job can’t make room for who they are and how their lives run now, they will look for something that fits better.
One simple step I’ve taken to stay on top of what matters to my direct reports or wider team is keeping file notes and calendar reminders to make sure I don’t miss an opportunity to recognize a birthday or special event or achievement. I always want them to know that I care about them as people and not just as employees.
Further, while A-Players tend to be natural leaders within their own spheres, they expect those who lead them to earn their confidence. From their direct supervisors to the company’s CEO, they want to see fair, human-centric management and strong strategic planning they can count on. Otherwise, A-Players will go elsewhere and put their best efforts behind someone they can trust.
With those expectations in mind, let’s talk about how you can retain top-quality people to grow with your organization into the future.
Keeping A-Players on Your Team
Start off on the right foot. From the beginning of your employer-employee relationship, make open communication essential.
- Make sure your recruitment materials and branding clearly and accurately communicate company culture and core values. (“Accurate” here means your core values are what you actually do, not just what you say in your marketing copy.) Researchers Horn and Bernstein, in their book, Job Movers, suggest that employers go a step further and create “shadow job descriptions,” laying out the day-to-day, week-to-week activities that comprise the actual work.
- Learn to ask questions about what really drives employees’ behavior. What are their long-term aspirations? How do they see this position moving them toward those goals? What makes them “tick” on the job? What skills would they like to learn or like to use in new ways? What work environment factors matter most to them?
- When a new hire starts, make sure their first day sets them up for success. Provide a personalized welcome. Introduce them to the team and provide access to all the tools they will need. Recall your own first-day-on-the-job experience and make it better.
My son, who is 27, recently experienced exemplary onboarding at a job that required him to relocate to another state. His manager blocked out the first day to spend time with him and tour him around the company facilities—not just where he was going to be working, but in several different locations. During his first couple of weeks she arranged for him to meet people from other departments and shadow them for a day or go for lunch with them. The net result was that my son felt he had made a good move joining this company. He was excited to get plugged into the work and be a productive and valuable employee.
Conduct regular check-ins. After you’ve hired people, get to know them in the work context. Their lives haven’t been standing still; find out how their thinking and their goals may have changed.
- Hold regular one-on-one conversations where you can continue to get better acquainted. Listen actively and note what drives them.
- Ask probing questions: Are they still feeling engaged with the job? What could make it better? What’s changing—for better or worse—in their work and/or life? How could you put their skills and time to better use? What kind of professional growth opportunities would be meaningful to them? Would a different role be a better fit?
- Look for ways to deliver forward movement. Even if their desires (pay, remote work, etc.) are presently out of reach for you, what can you offer that they will perceive as progress in their direction?
Improve the human experience at work. Human beings aren’t machines. They work best when their workplace takes a holistic view of their intellectual, emotional, and physical health. Here are some areas you might explore:
- Monitor the company culture at all levels. If your core values are being compromised, address issues as soon as possible.
- Consider the tools, equipment, software, hardware, paperwork, and other non-human things your people interact with. Have you provided what they need to work efficiently, effectively, and hard—while avoiding frustration, unnecessary steps, or physical strain?
- Be available to receive feedback and answer questions.
- Make employees aware of options for internal mobility, for upskilling, and (when possible) performance-based pay increases.
- Recognize significant life events in employees’ non-work lives so they know you see them as valuable, whole people.
- Manage change wisely. Communicate transparently as new developments take shape.
Engage intentionally with A-Players. As you observe outstanding performance and learn about workers through regular conversations, you’ll identify your true A-Players. You’ll hear their thoughts, aspirations, and suggestions for improving their situation, and—if you ask the right questions—their suggestions for improving the company. Like smart racehorses, these top-notch individuals can then be “given their head” in ways that match their capabilities. A few ideas could include:
- Provide advancement opportunities through training and education. Help them achieve their goals and your organizational goals at the same time.
- Let them practice taking on more leadership. Don’t shield them from the risk of making mistakes, but coach them through it.
- Invite them into decision-making discussions, so they know their input is valued.
Keep succession planning in view. Remember that as you equip and develop your A-Players, you’re not only building better employees. You’re strengthening the hands into which you will place your company’s future. Those A-Players—the ones actively engaged with their work, taking advantage of your professional development offerings, and bursting with ideas for improving the company in the years ahead—are the very people you should plug into your succession plans.
A-Player Retention: Pathway to Strong Succession
For the sake of your company’s long-term success, you must devote energy to identifying A-Players, nurturing their development, and keeping them so engaged that they become your future leaders. This process is not about pampering sensitive employees who need lots of “strokes” to feel validated. It’s about clearly communicating expectations—yours and theirs—so you equip highly talented individuals to optimize their capabilities for the good of an organization they want to see succeed.
If you’re interested in boosting your A-Player retention and succession planning efforts, reach out here to see if business coaching might be a good fit for you.
