By Claire Harrison

Holding the interest of top performers has never been so essential to the successful outcomes of your business – as various industries move forward, it’s becoming increasingly apparent good people drive great companies from the ground up. There’s a special excitement that comes from hiring a top performer, something just clicks in place within weeks and they hit the ground with certainty. They learn quickly and pass on that knowledge when somebody new joins the company, communicate easily and use their influence over key players to shape their department or even the wider company story for the better. After a time, retaining these high flyers becomes a task and one you can meet with energy and confidence by following these four steps:

 1. Understand 9-5 is dying

Be flexible. These people have invested their time, passion and drive into making your company or business a better place – they also have families, lives and work style preferences. An increasing amount of companies are opening themselves to the fundamentals of flex time agreements, as technology continues to outpace old modes of communication and work. Allowing your bread and butter to work from home a few days a week or negotiate their own hours will make sure you get the best out of them, during their peak productivity periods.

2. Lead From Behind

We’re not saying neglect your management duties and let the wheels fall off, but a significant part of hiring talented people includes giving them the tools they need to succeed and getting out of the way. Micro-management is hideous, management via fear is almost extinct – hiring a candidate for a role entails the acceptance that mistakes will be made, successes will be won and experiences are worth more than any lecture/monologue you’ve prepared.

 3. Give Praise

If they’ve done a great job, say they’ve done a great job. Don’t take their success and make it your own, and similarly, don’t distribute to the team if the employee completed 90% of the work required. Commitment, performance and improvement should all be recognized and built upon to keep those fires burning. If correction is in order, turn it into a conversation and set employee driven goals around key areas of potential – every experience can be positive and constructive.

4. What Are They Worth?

Too often, employers are hesitant to lift remuneration packages, even if an individual as performed to the highest standard consistently. Expecting the world and not delivering monetary recognition will encourage those same people you rely on to investigate greener pastures. And by greener, we mean those fields with a high pay check. You’ll pour the same expense into replacing them, training the new recruit and hoping their successor lives up to their departing reputation.

Claire is an experienced general manager, not for profit director and human resources consultant who is committed to helping organisations achieve their business goals through culture and people. Learn more about Claire here.