In Part One we discussed using candidate motivation to help recruit your talent. Knowing and understanding a candidate’s major motivations is a crucial piece of the puzzle to bring aboard the best talent available. Now that you have successfully added your next top performer, it is imperative to ensure that you retain them.

After learning the initial major motivations of your candidates, you must continue to stay on top of their changing motivational factors when they are employees to help retain your talent. Getting to know each person will require extra time and effort on your part, but getting to know your employees beyond their work function and performance will pay dividends in the long run.

Maybe your star sales rep is planning to start a family and will want to shift focus from five days on the road to a more flexible schedule? Maybe your accounts payable person wants to continue their education and take the next step in their career? Staying on top of these ever changing circumstances can be difficult. Working in a few key questions into a yearly performance review can help you stay on top of any changing motivations.

• How did you achieve your individual goals? If you did not achieve them, why not?
• Describe what actions you took toward your development since the last performance discussion.
• What areas do you need/want to develop? How will you achieve this?
• What can your superiors do to better assist you in your position and professional development?

Providing benefits and opportunities that coincide with the motivational factors of your team will help you retain your talent and will ultimately continue your team to coincide their goals with the successful direction of the company.