Secrets in plain sight: How to keep your talented employees

Being a great boss Great bosses develop relationships with their employees. The relationship is built on more than just getting the work done. • A great boss listens to what the employee has to say and responds accordingly. • Praises the employee every chance he catches him doing something good. • Delegates when necessary. • […]

Being a great boss

Great bosses develop relationships with their employees. The relationship is built on more than just getting the work done.

• A great boss listens to what the employee has to say and responds accordingly.

• Praises the employee every chance he catches him doing something good.

• Delegates when necessary.

• Gives clear instruction on what is expected.

• Follows through on items promised.

• Provides frequent feedback.

• Measures progress fairly and communicates this progress to the team.

With a great boss, the employee feels comfortable and can be the most productive. Let’s look at three ideas that can revolutionize your relationship with your employees.

The Praise Ratio

No one gets enough praise these days. Most of the communications that employees have with each other is to correct something that is wrong, i.e., negative feedback. John Gottman, an award-winning psychology professor, and Marcial Losada, a mathematician/psychologist, have studied the ratio of positive interactions to negative interactions. In a healthy marriage, Gottman showed that there should be six positive interactions for every one negative interaction between the couple. In a healthy work environment, Losada found the ratio to be 2.9. High performance teams have a ratio of 5.6.

Try this at your work. For that matter, try this on you teenager or spouse. You should see an immediate effect.

A Stay Interview

You’ve no doubt conducted exit interviews, but have you ever tried a stay interview? Sharon Jordan-Evans, author of Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Getting Good People to Stay, recommends employers conduct a stay interview with their top performers. Ask them these tough questions:

• What will keep you working here? What might entice you away?

• What would make work-life better for you?

• Do you feel challenged at work?

• Is there something that would provide you with more challenge that you’d like to try?

• Do you feel acknowledged and recognized for your accomplishments?

• What would you like to learn?

If you were the employee, can you imagine how good this would feel if your boss asked you these questions? This conversation will strengthen the relationship you have with your employee. Honesty, trust, and good communication will permeate the relationship going forward.

Employees who socialize together stay together. Provide an outlet for employees to get together frequently outside of work. Larger companies have sports teams and volunteer events in which to participate. Many teams share a happy hour during the week. Encourage employees to go to lunch together.

Bringing a new employee into the social network of existing employees is especially important for retention and job success. Make sure that employee meets everyone and begins to participate in the social activities offered at work.

Keeping Your Talented Employees

The secret to keeping your best employees is no longer a secret. Try these three ideas with your managers, and you’ll begin to see a difference in your employees right away.

About.com