Creating an Environment for Top Talent

by Jonathan Jones

A company’s long-term success depends in large part on its ability to attract, develop and retain top talent. High performers tend to thrive in the presence of colleagues who inspire them to excel rather than merely defer to perceived superiority.

But as in any ecosystem, growth means change. Top performers, having raised a company’s in-house talent to new levels, can sometimes slip into mediocrity for lack of the challenges they crave. The surest way to ensure cultural decline in your company is to accept mediocrity as inevitable. So how can you keep your top talent challenged and contributing their best to your organization?

1) Set high standards for performance. Top talent appreciates being challenged.

2) Make rewarding those who meet high standards part of your culture. Consider a bonus system or at the least some kind of celebration for great performance. Sometime a simple thank-you is all the recognition top performers need to motivate them.

3) Keep an eye out in the community and your industry for unique individuals whose gifts and experiences may fall well outside your industry’s standard template. Sometimes their atypical qualities can inspire leaders to try new, innovative means toward greater creativity and profits.

4) Give underperformers a chance to improve. If after earnest investment in coaching they fail to rise, remove them from the organization. Your best employees, unburdened of a low performer’s weight, will be motivated to new levels of achievement.

5) Provide the specific peer group training necessary to develop top talent for their specific roles. You are investing in your most valuable assets.
Remember, top talent wants to work in a winning environment. It is your responsibility to create the habitat they need to achieve.

Jonathan Jones (Jonathan.jones@vistagechair.com or 314-608-0783) is a CEO peer group chair/coach for Vistage International.