Overview

People do not leave bad companies, they leave bad bosses.

(Dr Beverly Kaye)

Sustaining and keeping talent requires:

• going past money as the sole motivator

• concentration on both individual and team retention

• avoiding the stereotyping of people

• discussing what personal success really means

• being creative in how you say thank you.

Discovering passions and dreams

There is little point investing countless hours trying to win the knowledge game if you are unable to attract and keep the talent you need for your business. Somehow, each business needs to find the right formula to engage their people to be willing, skilled and motivated. People must feel that their work provides them a pathway to a better life and hope for the future. If you wish to inspire and keep talent you must assist people to extract meaning out of what they are doing so that they can progress, build confidence and grow. Most important of all, a business must foster a culture or attitude that rewards the flow of ideas so that a better future can be generated for everyone s benefit.

To do this requires a unique chemistry, one that is fuelled by mutual respect and an emotional bond between its people. Only then will you have the capacity to drive the collaboration and know-how you need to achieve better results for your business and your customers. As a 2002 study by Hewitt Associates and the Australian Graduate School of Management found, the best employer...