'Tis the season to retain talent...

This year will be my 36th annual office party. I try never to forget why we choose to host a party for our teams and to remember how my younger self felt about these events. I used to really look forward to marking the start of the festive season with my colleagues and if a manager did not join us I would feel they were being disrespectful- that they probably were not genuinely interested in the staff.

Thirty years on and I now that understand that life is not straightforward and that there are indeed many personal and professional reasons why not every manager can attend every party. I realise I was wrong to simply write them off for non-attendance. However those memories remind me of the importance of these occasions and wherever possible, I am present to show my appreciation to colleagues.

I can also distinctly remember the sense of a year coming to a close. December is a natural time for reflection and I would always give serious thought as to the progress I had made and what the new calendar year might bring. Do I like being here? Will I have the opportunity to progress here? What do other members of staff have that I want? Perhaps most importantly – Have I grown out of this place? Is it time to move on to something new?

I am a great believer that whilst people move on, we can extend the shelf-life of top talent and that by achieving an extension to their time, that this will naturally reduce churn amongst future stars. The rising talent will look around them and if they see their talented, aspirational colleagues, still enjoying their work and developing, they in turn will feel they are with the right company.

The festive season is a perfect time to audit your team, their roles and responsibilities. Who are the key players next year? What financial and developmental support do you have in place for them? Wait until January to have those conversations (with yourself and them) and it could be too late.

Leaders have to be clinical about business and learn how to seize on commercial opportunities. What else is happening in your market place? Which new opportunities deserve further exploration and what is the risk that you will need to manage? What is the vital skillset and experience you are seeking to bring to your company next?

Believe me, these notes come from my own experiences of not moving early enough on new ideas –of not always having the right conversations early enough. With that in mind, my final offering on this subject is to encourage you to book yourself some quality time (in the diary and out of your normal work space) to enable you the physical and head-space to think this stuff through. It is guaranteed to be time well spent if you are serious about retaining and developing your talent in 2018.

For most of us, December does not have to be crammed full of festive networking events and suppliers’ Christmas parties – just make sure you turn up to your own!