22 Point Checklist to Assess Your Retention Practices

If you have team members who think of you as the “boss” it’s a good time to do a reality check on your daily practices. This is big-time personal development and professional growth stuff – it matters to you and to your team members.

Retention practices obviously refer to holding onto the people you want to keep, but are  you doing the things that will make them stay?

Many posts on this blog have referred to the importance of building strong relationships and that’s what our entire business is about – it’s that critical to your success.

 

I’ve used this survey courtesy of the Love ’Em or Lose ’Em: Getting Good People to Stay program by Kaye & Jordan-Evans many times in leadership classes and always with great  success – people like the revelations.

Read each of the statements below and give yourself one point for each statement that is true for you.  If you’re not sure, don’t give yourself a point.  Your score will tell you where you stand and what to do next.

1. I frequently ask how to make work more satisfying for my staff.
2. I accept I am the process owner for retaining good performers on my team.
3. I demonstrate respect for different backgrounds, values and needs of my employees.
4. I take steps to ensure that my reps are continually challenged by their work.
5. I respect the work-life balance issues that my employees face.
6. I let my reps know the different resources available to help them develop and grow their careers.
7. I share most, if not all, of the information to which I’m privy with my employees.
8. I apologize when I believe I have been insensitive of a rep’s feelings.
9. I encourage laughter at work.
10. I introduce my reps to others within my internal and external network.
11. I encourage my employees to stretch when creating their Personal Development Action plan.
12. I’ll stand up for a rep when I believe that they did the right thing for the customer or the company.
13. I watch for internal opportunities for my staff.
14. I question and bend the rules to support my people.
15. I recognize and reward the accomplishment of my employees in a in a variety of ways.
16. I frequently recognize and reward my people.
17. I provide my people with as much choice as possible on how their work gets done.
18. I give my employees feedback on a regular basis and coach them on what to improve.
19. I take time to really listen to and understand my employees.
20. I recognize signs of stress or overwork in my people.
21. I am tuned into the special wants and needs of everyone on my team.
22. I ask my people for feedback on my own managerial style.

Scoring:

O - 6    Alert!  You are at risk of losing your best people.  Start by asking what it is they want and need.   Then immediately move to three to five of the ideas from this assessment and put them into  action.

6 - 14    Caution!  You’ve got work to do to keep your best people.  Begin now to ask them, as well as your trusted colleagues, what working and what’s not.

15 – 21   Congrats!  You’re on the right track to keep your best people, but don’t stop now.  Choose other ideas to work on and give yourself the praise you deserve.

Strong Relationships + Solid Leadership = Success for Everyone