“If you take care of them, they’ll take care of you.”
It was one of the earliest pieces of tree stump wisdom shared by my platoon sergeant, a grizzled, old school non-commissioned officer who had a better grasp of human psychology than most experts in the field. It was a cool fall morning in a field training area on Fort Campbell, and we were seated across from one another, taking in our first cups of steaming hot coffee. As our conversation progressed, we came around to the subject of retention. Our platoon was large—over 100 troops—and included a wide variety of highly-skilled and highly sought after technical specialties. Yet we had the highest reenlistment and retention rates in the entire brigade. A fact that was appreciated by our leadership and a source of some competitive tension among my peers.
By all rights, many of our soldiers could have made more money out of uniform, explored more of what the other side offers, and enjoyed much more predictable lives. But they stayed. Long days, long hours, mediocre pay, and subject to deployment around the world with little or no warning. Yet the fact remained that our troops tended to stay when others threw their boots over the wire.
Why?
THE SOLDIER’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
We had a formula. Actually, to be fair, my platoon sergeant had a formula, kind of Maslow’s hierarchy for the Army. It wasn’t particularly complicated. It didn’t derive from years of study or research. It was the product of years of military service, serving alongside people from every conceivable corner of society, all of whom seemed to have their own individual motivations. And, like most good non-commissioned officers, he’d paid close attention and kept detailed mental notes along the way.
“Soldiers are motivated by a lot of different things,” he told me that morning, “but we can only control three of them: money, time off, and rewards.” As I pondered that thought, he continued. “If you want to take good care of people, you work like hell on the things you can control and try to cut through the bullshit on the things you can’t.”
And there it was. Simple. Uncomplicated. Focused.
Money was largely earned through promotions, so we made a concerted effort to ensure our troops were postured for those opportunities. We sent them to schools to expand their skills and knowledge, rigorously prepared them for promotion boards, and took every measure possible to make them more competitive. When it came to time off, we established an incentive-based pass policy—sometimes off the books—through which they could earn a long weekend here or there. The policy had the added benefit of supporting other measures that gave us a competitive edge. Finally, we never failed to acknowledge them for their efforts. Formally or informally, rewards were extended. They never had to wonder if their work was appreciated; it was.
THE 5 KEYS TO RETAINING TALENT
Truth be told, retaining talent isn’t all that complicated. While you have to accept that talent will naturally migrate over time, a good leader can do a lot to minimize both that natural migration rate and the impact it has on the larger workforce.
Generally, there are five areas where leaders either fail or succeed in retaining talent. It’s not exactly rocket science, as they say. Get them right and people tend to settle in and stay. Get them wrong and you’re staring at a high turnover rate with no end in sight.
1. Alignment
People need a clear sense of vision and purpose, something that defines their raison d’être within an organization. Alignment helps people to build a connection to the organization, and providing that alignment is probably the most fundamental elements of leadership that exists—setting purpose, direction, and motivation. Get that right and everything else tends to follow.
2. Autonomy
Autonomy follows closely on the heels of alignment and captures the responsibility and authority that leaders invest in their teams. In the military, autonomy is reflected in the principles of mission command, where leaders extend trust to empower subordinates, providing them with the independence to demonstrate initiative and the freedom to accept risk. When autonomy is replaced with micromanagement, talent migrates at a higher rate and the organization suffers.
3. Growth
High potential people have an innate need to pursue growth opportunities. Good leaders take the time to connect with their subordinates to better understand their individual motivations, then coach and mentor them in positive, productive ways to help them pursue growth opportunities. While talented people might move on in the wake of such opportunities, stagnation—which breeds turnover—will only accelerate that process.
4. Support
One of the tenets of my personal leadership philosophy was “work hard, play hard,” a euphemism for the effort I believed was necessary to “burn off steam” through non-work-related activities. Maybe it’s an after-hours drink and think or a lunchtime barbecue. It could even be something as simple as coffee and donuts and a chance to talk as a team before the day gets started. In the end, it’s imperative to connect with your team and make them feel supported, rather than pile on the work until they drop.
5. Recognition
One of the three fundamentals of leadership is motivation, and that often equates to simply recognizing—and rewarding—exceptional performance. That recognition can come in a variety of forms and a good leader understands each and every one and how best to leverage them. Sometimes, it’s as simple as telling someone, “I appreciate you,” for a job well done. If you’re charged with leading a high-performing team, you’d better figure it out how to recognize people while you still have a team to lead.
