Fluid Consulting eBulletin Issue 10

As we emerge from the recession, head hunters will be targeting high-achieving individuals as the job market picks up. How can we motivate and enthuse our top performers to maximise the chance that they will stay put?

Stretch tasks: Make sure each person has at least one stretch task encouraging them to go beyond their present level of performance. Examples could be a TUPE transfer for a HR Manager or merger for a Finance Director.

Comprehensive feedback: Give line managers insightful feedback on the levels of engagement that exist from their direct reports. Depending on the culture it may be appropriate to look at 360 degree feedback, staff suggestion schemes, interviews and/or confidential employee satisfaction surveys.

Networking techniques: Use these to encourage professionals to meet others like themselves both internally and externally. Encourage top talent to attend such events, which may need some slight adjustment to working hours or careful delegation to allow them the time.

Boost profiles: Help people build their profile across the organisation, showing them what it takes to develop a strong one. Spend some time working out what sort of image is the most appropriate to portray and assist talented people to position themselves accordingly.

Coaching: Ask everyone to become coaches to each other, not just managers, and give them help in developing their coaching role. It is important to emphasise the importance of coaching at all levels and that success as a coach can be a significant aid to career development.

Low-cost approaches: Sponsor a low-cost talent development initiative in which leaders gain new experience across the organisation and share their learning. An example we were recently involved with had a client working with a local school and providing invaluable experience in terms of problem-solving, team working and presentation skills. It also produced positive corporate social responsibility (CSR) benefits.

Blogs and forums: Ensure your talent can post details of their experience and aspirations so they can be accessed by a wide range of managers and leaders in the organisation.

Diaries: Ask people to keep a diary for a week on the best and the worst bits of their job and share these with colleagues. This may prove a useful task in terms of succession planning and outsourcing!

Inspiration: Since there is no ideal 'end state' of engagement, focus instead on identifying what inspires people, uncovering what literally gets their juices flowing and feeling that it is worth getting up in the morning to come to work. Recognise that what ‘floats their boat’ may change and so regularly seek their views formally and informally.

Health and wellbeing: Introduce or expand a range of health and wellbeing initiatives that can help make up for the absence of pay rises. This may vary from healthy cooking sessions to massage to installing a shower so that people can run or cycle to work.


	We’re all busy and at times we sometimes don’t take the time to communicate effectively. In these times of economic turbulence employers should recognise the importance of communication at all levels.

“They can't have it
You can't have it
I can't have it too
Until I learn to accept my reward”