As we move forward through the COVID-19 pandemic, work dynamics across the country are shifting. Team members are tired, but they also have access to options that either didn’t exist or that they weren’t aware of prior to the pandemic. The Great Resignation means that many people are leaving their jobs, but it has also led to a tremendous amount of hiring.

Companies are dealing with unprecedented talent churn at all levels. To make it successfully through this era, you must first retain your engaged and high-potential team members, then form a plan to lead toward success and consider strategic methods for attracting new talent.

Retaining Your Engaged and High-Potential Team Members

It’s important to retain the talent you’ve already cultivated, especially during a period when they’ve become aware of the fact that they have other options. To keep them invested in your organization, you must be clear about your:

  • Environment
  • Culture
  • Purpose

These three points are instrumental in influencing where people choose to devote their time and talents. Sure, profit-sharing, great 401(K)s, competitive salaries, and benefit packages have an impact. But, ultimately, people avoid burnout and want to remain where they are when they know that they’re part of an excellent team and there’s a purpose to their work.

A Plan to Lead Toward Success

In order to build successful, growing teams, you must invest in your people. Team members need to understand that there’s a path to growth within their companies as well as opportunities to increase their skills and grow their salaries. 

Communication is an instrumental part of making this happen. Consider sitting down once a month with your team members and sharing a genuine conversation. This is a great chance to ask:

  • How are things going with your work?
  • What goals do you have?
  • Where are you making an effort to grow?
  • Are we supporting you with that growth?

Find ways to link the personal growth of your people with their daily tasks. Celebrate their successes and recognize when they do superb work. Build those relationships, find opportunities to connect, and really consider where your teams are coming from. When they succeed, you succeed.

Attracting New Talent

The Great Resignation also brings enormous opportunity. If you’re an employer, when else have you ever had access to this kind of talent? 

When bringing new members into your team, you must consider, and not lose sight of, questions such as:

  • How are we all going to get along?
  • How are we going to work together?
  • How are we going to live our values on a daily basis?

Yes, competitive wages and benefits have a part to play in attracting new, highly skilled team members. But, new talent will ultimately be attracted by the quality of your workplace and your culture as well as whether there are available opportunities for support and growth. 

Thriving Through the Great Resignation

Yes, the job market has taken a drastic turn in recent months, but that doesn’t have to be a negative. What it does do is emphasize the importance of keeping your current teams engaged and, if you’re at a point to do so, taking steps to attract high-performing talent to your organization.

Leadership is a study in and of itself. Good leaders invest in relationships and understand how to create positive environments and successful teams. If you’re really, really good at cultivating a supportive culture, not only will your team members want to stay, but they’ll thrive, and others will want to be a part of what you’ve built.

For more help on getting through the Great Resignation, check out our article on why The Old Normal Isn’t Going to Cut It Anymore.