Ambitious employees often rank among the top 10% of their field.
It's rewarding to have dedicated, ambitious employees, but it can also be scary since if they are unhappy, they will not hesitate to leave.
The work culture and policies of your company have to change if you want to retain top performers.
You may have recruited this impressive crop of talent through robust recruitment strategies, but if they are not treated appropriately with career development opportunities, appreciation, and promotions, they are likely to leave.
Top talent can be retained in a few simple ways:
1. Make them feel like your business partners.
Keep your best performers vested in your company by not micromanaging them.
Provide them with autonomy.
Allow them to control the ownership of their work.
By trusting them, you give them the opportunity to perform at a higher level.
2. Recognize the value of your employees.
An individual who performs well is driven to be appreciated and rewarded.
Thank them for their contributions and let them know how much you appreciate them.
A study found that praised and recognized employees are more productive, more loyal, and more likely to stay with the company.
Your employees will feel more fulfilled and satisfied at work if their hard work, dedication, and teamwork is appreciated. Rewarding employees creates an environment of appreciation and increases productivity.
As a whole, employee recognition motivates your employees and makes them feel like they are an important part of the organization.
3. Feedback
Provide constructive feedback.
Provide truthful feedback.
Provide objective feedback.
Feedback that is negative is unpleasant for everyone, but it is even worse for your best performershe top performers, however, will usually turn this constructive criticism into a learning opportunity.The more objective and unbiased your feedback is, the more likely they are to hear you out and fine-tune their performance.
When you continuously give your employees feedback, they will feel like their growth matters. Feedback allows your top employees to advance their skill sets and raise their knowledge levels as well as learn how to work better. Having a sense of fulfillment and happiness in a career is crucial for your top performers.
4. Invest in their growth
Your best performers are clearly ambitious.
As a result, they have a growth mentality and are naturally driven to grow personally and professionally.
Make it possible for them to meet this need by creating an environment that allows them to do so. You can invest in their growth by sponsoring certification courses and training sessions. Through growth opportunities, top performers strive to advance their careers.
5. Provide them with new responsibilities.
When your employees reach their full potential, give them new responsibilities. Provide them with the opportunity to mentor new colleagues or employees.
According to studies, mentored employees feel confident, capable, motivated, and proud of themselves.
6. Get a sense of their emotions and attitudes.
By paying attention to their feelings and attitudes, you can gain a great deal of insight.
There is a need for employees to be heard! When grievances aren't addressed, employees feel their opinions don't matter. You can make your employees feel appreciated and a part of the team by taking their suggestions into consideration. This makes them more engaged and happy.
7. Money is not always the most motivating factor.
It is not always possible to guarantee employee engagement with monetary rewards.
It's a sign that your company isn't on solid ground when your best employees only work for money. Employees are often rewarded with money only as a temporary measure.
Keep your employees motivated on a long-term basis. Some of these benefits include free lunches, childcare facilities, and flexible hours.
8. Maintain an open line of communication.
It is possible to retain top performers if you have transparent communication channels.
It will foster an open atmosphere if you keep your employees informed each week about your thoughts and plans.
Your employees should be informed about the importance of business performance. Employees cannot follow your lead until you master open communication.
9. Seek their input and ideas.
Oftentimes, employees' input and ideas are not sought before decisions are made. Whenever possible, consult your top employees before announcing a decision. Their participation in strategic planning and decision-making meetings empowers them.
If you ask your employees for their ideas, you will be surprised how many brilliant solutions you will receive; in turn, keeping them motivated and increasing their productivity.