We have all been in a place where we cycle through employees and wonder why we do not have a deeper pool of great talent.
We are always over-prepared for our upcoming peak season with setting up interviews, training schedules and after a few months, turning over the employees that we thought had high potential.
On the flip side, our top performers tend to leave for other opportunities. Why is that?
What can you do differently to engage your top performers?
- Understand your employees by asking more questions to gain insight
Take time to get to know your employees. Do you know what they want out of their position? Do you know what they want out of their time spent with you? Do you know what their short-long term goals are?
Scheduling regular one on one meetings is a crucial part of the process. Giving your employees the space to speak will help you understand their wants and needs.
- Create more on the job opportunities
Once you understand what your employees want, give them an opportunity to be in the “learning mode” by creating quick and easy moments to make an impact.
Whether it is giving a sales associate an opportunity to run the sales floor like the Manager on Duty or providing the sales associate a platform to train and develop a new hire.
You can do this through role-playing or providing a step-by-step play action. Ensure you teach the expectation, show the expectation through role-play and allow them to show you the expectation.
Remember, be patient. They will not get it on their first try.
- Provide regular and continuous feedback
Providing continuous feedback is one of the most valuable aspects of this process. Set clear expectations and provide regular feedback throughout their “learning mode” at what they are doing well and where you see they need to improve.
Keep in mind, providing feedback does not have to be a scheduled one on one meeting. This can take place throughout their shift and at any given time.
- Manage your time
Creating a space to train, develop and provide feedback can get overwhelming, especially if you have a large team.
Take a look at your schedule and identify how much you can handle. You do not have to do this alone. Leverage your leadership team and get the entire team involved.
Set realistic goals for yourself and NEVER overbook or overwhelm yourself. This can lead to unauthentic coaching moments.
HBR Link: https://hbr.org/2020/01/a-better-way-to-develop-and-retain-top-talent
Margaret Rogers is a vice president at Pariveda Solutions, a consulting firm driven to create innovative, growth-oriented, and people-first solutions. With more than 20 years of experience, Margaret enjoys developing and applying human-centered methods in her work. She aims to empower organizations with impactful and sustainable transformation to help them realize their full potential.