There is a common misconception that the majority of people move jobs simply for a financial gain.' Whilst this may be true with some mercenary footballers in England's top league, it isn't always the case for your average Joe on the street.
Last week we looked at the five reasons why time and time again your very best talent could be leaving the business.
This included the red tape that is common amongst big businesses, the lack of strategy within a company and being unable to find a project that will stretch your more able members of staff.
Below are the final 5 reasons why you may well be seeing your brightest individuals heading to work for a competitor and how to try and prevent that happening:
You shouldn't handle your top talent with kid gloves.' Everybody in a business needs to be accountable and that includes the elite running the key projects.' And rather than wondering why you are you sticking your beak into their business, they should be keen to share with you any progress they have on a big project.
Organise regular touch points with your best people as they work through their projects and they will appreciate your insights, observations and suggestions.' Just be careful though that this doesn't spill into preaching.
As well as having some'great talent in your business, what is the rest of the team like?' Many companies keep some people on the payroll that they know shouldn't really be there.' You'll get a litany of rationales from other managers explaining why their people are allowed to continue with the business; 'It's just too hard to find a replacement'.', or, 'Now's not the time''.
However when you conduct exit interviews with the best people leaving the business you may well hear how they were turned off by some of their former colleagues.' If you want to keep your best people, make sure that they're surrounded by other great people.
What is the vision of your organisation?' What are your long-term aims and aspirations?
Talented people will want to know that they are working towards a long-term goal and will want to be a part of the company's vision for success.' If you don't have a list of long-term goals for the business, then this could be the ideal opportunity to get your best talent involved in helping you put together a new vision for the business.
The best people want their ideas shared and listened to.' However, a lot of companies have a vision or a strategy that is something of a closed book and perceive anybody who doesn't agree with it as an opposing voice and not a team player.
This archaic form of management will see all the people who disagree with the strategy leaving the business because they are seen as disruptive.' You will then be left with a bunch of talentless 'yes' people who will always say what you want to hear'for fear of'upseting the apple cart.
A successful business is one that listens to and incorporates other people's point of view and this is what talented people will expect from a forward-thinking organisation.
If you have recently seen a few people leave the company who report into the same boss, it's unlikely to be a coincidence.' Not everybody is right for man-management and you may have to find other roles in the organisation for people who could be causing your best talent to leave the business.
Remember that although you may have to put in place some of the above to try and keep hold of some of the top talent in your business, it isn't a one-way street.
The top talent also has to assume some responsibility in helping change the culture in your organisation.
Good people are staying longer with good businesses and this is only set to continue.' Although the market is flooded with candidates, real talent is becoming scarce and smart organisations are the ones that will go that extra mile to ensure their best people are not poached by the competition.
Thanks for reading and should you require any further help finding that next big move, or if you are looking to recruit'don't hesitate to get in touch with me here, or you can join the LinkedIn Response Knowledge Network here.
Otherwise feel free to get in touch with me personally, via Twitter or LinkedIn using the links below.
