Estimated read time: 5 minutes
You know who these people are in your organization. They are your GO TO people. You depend on them constantly to keep things together. They know where things are, and they get things done. They are, however, also the employees who get the most frustrated when chronic problems exist in the organization. They spend countless hours passionately complaining about what is wrong and about what should be done, and they will work long hours, if necessary, to make things right. They are also the ones you will miss most when they are gone.
So how do you keep these best and brightest employees happy and productive? Especially since keeping them is KEY to the success of your organization.
While they tend to be high-maintenance individuals who require a great deal of time and understanding on your part, they are also the ones who are most passionate about doing a great job. If you can provide them with what they need to do a great job, they will be your most dedicated and devoted employees.
In fact, they are already your most dedicated and devoted employees. You just need to figure out how to keep them that way.
So what do these best and brightest individuals want from you in order to be happy and productive?
First and foremost, THEY WANT YOU TO LEAD, not manage – Owners and executives frequently make the mistake of leaving their best and brightest flailing away without guidance. This is an easy pattern to fall into since the best and brightest are highly competent in task completion, and they appear to prefer independence. But they still want guidance from you on “what you want;” even if they rarely need advice on how to do it. And while they don’t need to be managed, they do need a strong underlying structure from which to operate. And they thrive on knowing and contributing to the big picture.
They want to WORK IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF HIGH INTEGRITY, where everyone works hard and pulls their own weight. They want you to recognize your power and responsibility to drive and influence the cultural environment. And they expect you to actively use that power to create an environment that is both positive and productive. And they expect you, as the leader, to deal with the slackers.
They want to WORK FOR SOMEONE THEY RESPECT as an individual and as a leader – Because they want to do a great job, and have an impact on the world, they want to know that they are giving their efforts to someone who shares those values, and who practices them in all aspects of their life. When they go out into the world, they want to be proud to talk about where they work, who they work for, and what role they play.
They want you to LET THEM BE BETTER THAN YOU at what they do better than you – You don’t have to be an expert at everything. They have their areas of expertise. Let them be experts in these areas.
They want FORMAL RESPECT FROM YOU in the eyes of their peers and subordinates – It is not enough for you to just tell them how much you respect and appreciate them. They need a formal title that truly represents the authority and responsibilities they practice in their daily work. They need an accurate and respected place in the organization’s hierarchy. And while they are, most likely, already your organization’s informal leaders, they also need formal authority, granted by you, and acknowledged by you throughout the organization; only then will they feel they are being taken seriously.
They want opportunities for PERSONAL GROWTH and CAREER ADVANCEMENT – Your best and brightest have an intense fear of stagnation. They must always be moving forward personally and professionally. If this need is not being met within your organization, they will look elsewhere. Creating and implementing a human resource development plan, and combining it with the philosophy and practice of promotion from within, will keep them motivated for a while (as long as they see themselves as serious participants), but what they really want from you is a mentoring relationship. They know you have a wealth of knowledge that can help them advance, and they want you to share that knowledge with them. They want you to teach them those important things about the organization that can’t be learned in a classroom.
And finally, they want CASH – The inability to get one’s basic financial needs met is a powerful anti-motivator. And while the best and brightest aren’t generally motivated by money, the embarrassment and loss of self-respect associated with financial insolvency can be enough to send them on their way. They have a strong need for pay equity—equal pay for equal effort expended. They need a sense of ownership—they want to work for “our” organization, not “yours,” and they are willing to ride out financial hard times (as long as everyone else is) in exchange for real profit sharing during good times.
