“Discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied person
and I will show you a failure.”
– Thomas A. Edison

Are you about to lose a marketing superstar to the competition? It’s a good question to consider. Marketing superstars are restless, ambitious achievers with big dreams. Top players set high standards for themselves and, spoken or unspoken, for the people who lead them. When things are not going particularly well, they often become open to outside influences. (Yes, these “outside influences” include recruiters.) With that said, no recruiter ever kidnapped a candidate.

What really motivates superstars to leave? Simply put, they tend to leave because they are significantly discontented. That may sound negative. But I can tell you with confidence that in the absence of strong discontent, top players normally won’t take the risk of leaving their company – often despite some very tempting opportunities .

So, while both play a role in turnover - pain is consistently a bigger motivator than gain.

Is there some way to inoculate your best players against this? No. But there is one approach that comes close.

Here's an illustration. About two weeks ago, I was referred to a strong candidate whom we’ll call “Susan” (not her real name). In the course of our conversation, Susan described some of her experiences over the past five years with a very powerful, yet troubled, CPG company. Despite facing some pretty daunting adversity, she maintained this perspective: She worked for the “best boss” she could imagine, “learned a lot from her,” and felt that this was such a valuable developmental opportunity that she couldn’t afford to leave. Susan even described, in detail, the way that her boss “fought” to get her promoted.

My point? If you want to retain star players, you must invest the time and energy required to become their trusted mentor - to guide them, to draw out their real career concerns, and to be their advocate on an ongoing basis. If you do these things consistently over time, they will rarely interview someplace else (at least not on your watch).

If you're wondering if all this work is really worth it, know this: Your R.O.I. for the time and energy you invest in your best players may go well beyond just retaining them in the short run. There are other potential benefits. For example, as you build a reputation as an exceptional mentor, you may become the boss that the up-and-coming superstars within your company seek out. Some day, if you should choose to leave your company, you’ll also be better positioned to entice your top players (and/or the top people within their networks) to join your new team. I regularly see both of these situations play out - creating career advantages for everyone involved.

One last thought. You have far more influence over retention and turnover than you might imagine. In large part, it's your decisions, your actions (not those of recruiters or anyone else) that determine whom you'll retain or lose. So, reach out to your best people. By making a difference in their careers - you may be making an even bigger difference in your own.

Lahey Consulting is a specialized search firm. We recruit and place brand management and marketing professionals (from associate brand manager to executive level) within consumer products companies throughout the United States. Lahey Consulting, LLC P.O. Box 395 Delmar, NY 12054-0395 www.laheyconsulting.com info@laheyconsulting.com Voice: 518-439-4285 Fax: 518-439-5795 Copyright © 2005 Lahey Consulting, LLC. All rights reserved. (However, you may reproduce this article if you include this copyright information and our web site address: www.laheyconsulting.com)