The Single Greatest Factor For Retaining High-Performing Employees

The Bullseye Employee Development Tool - A powerhouse for engagement

A plan. Or, more specifically, lack of a plan. 

Let me be more specific. As a small business owner, you probably have a business plan, or a strategic plan of some kind - and if you don't, I can help you establish one. 

I'm talking about a development plan for your employees. In today's business environment, finding good employees is difficult, so keeping them is more important than ever. As a small business owner, you have many responsibilities, and you may struggle with how or when to develop your employees, especially those with marketing responsibilities. 

Employees with the highest potential think about their future constantly. They aspire for greater things like ascending titles, salaries, or validation from peers. The desire to feel valued, recognized, and confident is constant. If they begin to feel "stuck" in a position and can't see a path for growth, they will quickly consider moving on to another job. I've done it multiple times in my career. 

Once an employee starts to share that they are considering leaving, many owners/managers make the short-sighted mistake of simply offering them more money or a title change to keep them from leaving. While that may remedy the situation in the short term, it can have multiple non-constructive implications for your business and employees:

1. It can create an "All I have to do is threaten to leave to get a promotion or raise" culture. 

2. It can create animosity in the ranks of your employees, leaving those who are promoted feeling like outcasts in your building, impacting morale and productivity. 

3. It can lead to an organizational structure that is not well-planned based on your business or marketing objectives.

4. It can cause other good employees to leave. 

How important is this topic? It's so important that I focus on it as part of my services as a Fractional CMO. I highlight it with my potential clients. I reflect on it often with my current clients. Why? Because it's one of the most important factors in determining whether your small business will be successful in the long run. Yes - your people are your greatest asset. It's not a cliche - it's real. 

I use a development tool called the "Bullseye" diagram with my client's staff. It's a tool that the employee takes ownership of from the beginning. It asks them to complete a self-inventory of their skill sets: Hard Skills and Soft Skills. Next, they assign a competency level to each of the skills they listed, starting with "I know nothing about this" to "I could teach this." It also asks them to outline their aspirations. 

Now here's the magic of this tool. I have an outline of their skills and where they are strong and weak. I'm able to overlay their assessment with the business and marketing objectives of the business and create a path for them in training (using any resources available) that not only develops them as an employee (engagement) but also ensures that the skills they are working on will help my client's business. It's an absolute win-win situation. My client gets an engaged workforce with a path for development and more productivity from them for their business. 

I can also train Managers to incorporate this tool into their annual review process. Imagine having this tool in an annual review process. A list of developmental items and the training outlined to strengthen their skills - as a manager, you can incorporate their progress into the "What I did this Year" portion of the annual review process. It's measurable and builds accountability for the employee. If the employee does not engage in the process, you may have to reconsider their value to your business. 

Because the employee owns this tool, they present it as part of their one-on-one meetings with their manager. It stimulates free-flowing conversation like no other tool I've experienced. It's exciting and fulfilling for all parties involved. 

If you are interested in learning more about this tool and how to incorporate it, let's have a conversation. I love to develop people.