How to Keep Your Performance Rockstars

“Bruce has brought in more business than anyone else. He has established great relationships with our most profitable customers. Even though he has a one-year non-compete contract, if he ever leaves, this company could fall apart.” 

“Susan is the best customer service manager we have ever had. Our customers love her and so does her team. She fixes problems and comes up with ideas to prevent them too! I don’t think I could find anyone better.”

“Tammy brings in 40% of the sales of this company and works harder than anyone. She is amazing. The others can’t compete with her. She gets a nice commission, and a Quarterly bonus, but I can’t give her more than that, or the others will be jealous. If I give her a piece of the company, my son will be unhappy. I never want to lose her. What should I do?”

Your company hired someone who turned out to be a Performance Rockstar?  Great. You’d better not lose them — especially if they head over to one of your competitors. This happens every day!

Methods to Make a Performance Rockstar Want to Stick and Stay

1. Give them a 15 to 20% raise or bigger bonuses.
2. Offer them a piece of the company with a contract. This will make them feel they are working with you and not for you.
3. Invest in their learning and development.
4. Give them the tools and technology to help them work more efficiently and effectively.
5. Get out of their way. Let them work the way they want to work and if they want to work from home, let them.

For New Hires You Recognize as Rockstars – 

Assuming you have a great culture and they have a great boss, (because if they don’t, you will surely lose them) here additional ways to keep them:

• Give them a raise or performance bonus and don’t take too long to do it.
• Ask them for a Candid Company Review. Allow them to give your company a performance review. (This may help them feel more invested in your business.)
• Take a genuine interest in them and I emphasize the word “genuine.”
• Show them you care about them as individuals.
• Ask them to take on new and different roles in your organization.
• If they seem to appear distant, find out why and fix it.
• Ask them if they feel they have the support they need when things get stressful…which is usually every day!
• Let them know how you value their work ethic and opinions.
• Ask them what the criteria would be to make them stay.
• Be the role model they wish to follow.

What if you do everything right and your performance rockstar still leaves?  Don’t be naive. Rockstars will leave. Your job is to find out why. Most of the time, it is because they did not like their immediate boss or because their boss did not treat them well.

Was there an unequal distribution of workload? Were they picking up the slack for someone else? Were they overworked and about to burn out?  Did you wait too long to give them a raise or performance bonus?  Did they have a crummy boss? Was there little or no opportunity for advancement?  Did you not recognize their leadership ability and send them to leadership training? Did you not provide great benefits and promote work-life balance? What made them leave?

Retaining Your Performance Rockstars

Hiring and retaining Rockstars takes serious effort. But it well worth it, because they can motivate others to be rockstars who can help carry your organization into a successful future.