How Wise Leaders Motivate, Engage and Retain Employees

It’s the beginning of a new year and people are reevaluating their personal and professional goals. Judging by all of the LinkedIn posts where people are announcing their new positions, it’s fair to assume people are making moves.

While we’re happy to see companies hiring and people finding new spaces to grow, companies and managers should stop and ask themselves why their employees are leaving and how they can better motivate, engage and retain their employees in the future.

Today’s leaders must constantly focus on the growth of their teams and strengthen the capabilities of individuals that can make the team more effective. Here are a few tips wise leaders have shared about retaining their top talent:

1. Stop creating tension. Sometimes this tension is created unknowingly. Give your employees the autonomy to do their positions their way and don’t expect them to read your mind. Train, educate, and give them the freedom to do their jobs.
2. Focus on the positives. It’s easy to be critical of errors made and overlook the times the employee did something well. When you focus on the positives and praise them for a job well done, you instill excitement and engagement in their performance.
3. Discover their potential. Stop micromanaging. Put them in situations where you can build trust with them and strengthen their own self-trust. A confident leader allows their employees to fail and is willing to help them pick up the pieces in the fall.
4. Be consistent and have their backs. Leadership is about trust. Employees disengage when their leaders play mind games and are inconsistent with their approach and style.
   
   Employees are vulnerable these days – make sure you’re not losing your talent to the competition.