You are better off with good people for a short time than average performers who stay too long

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

If you are a game-changing leader, you already know that you need to attract and retain the best talent to work with you. You also know that even if you keep them challenged and you invest in their development, you may still struggle to retain them. If they are talented, they are likely to be highly sought after and you may not be able to provide them with their next career opportunity.

David takes the view that he is better off with good people for a short time than average performers who stay too long. He has fostered countless senior leaders into bigger roles all over the globe. He makes a point of employing people who are smarter than him; he does not have to be the sharpest knife in the drawer. He takes a personal interest in them and focuses on their development. But despite his best efforts, some people leave for other opportunities. He gives those team members his blessing. He thanks them for their specific contributions while they worked together. He stays connected with them and many of those people seek him out for his counsel on the leadership challenges they face.

In his book, Work Rules!, Laszlo Bock provides his insights on this topic from his experience as Senior VP of People Operations for Google, where he led all aspects of attraction, development and retention of 50,000+ staff worldwide. Google wanted to understand the difference between their good managers and bad managers and the role they played in attracting and retaining staff.

They found 8 key attributes of good managers:

Be a good coach.

Empower the team and do not micromanage.

Express interest/concern for team members’ success and personal well-being.

Be very productive/results-oriented.

Be a good communicator – listen and share information.

Help the team with career development.

Have a clear vision/strategy for the team.

Have important technical skills that help advise the team.

But if you practice these attributes and still lose some team members, remember that you are better off having good people for a short time than average performers who stay too long.

Best regards, Brian

Click here to grab your copy of Leadership Is Changing the Game – The Transition from Technical Expert to Leader.