It is interesting how much attention companies give to recruiting. There are recruiters, job boards, interview processes, assessments, onboarding programs, and sometimes signing bonuses all designed to get the right person through the door. Then the person starts working and the effort can drop off pretty quickly. The conclusion of How to Hire A-Players focuses on keeping top performers, and I think that deserves just as much attention as finding them.
Compensation obviously matters. I do not buy the argument that employees will stay somewhere indefinitely because of culture if they know they are significantly underpaid. But money is also not the only reason good employees leave. The strongest people I have worked with generally want to know that they are going somewhere. They want more responsibility, new challenges, recognition, development, or at least some idea of what the next step looks like. There is also a strange problem that happens to high performers: being good at your job can earn you more work.
A manager knows a certain employee will get something done, so the important projects keep going to that person. Then another project goes to them. And another. Eventually the reward for being dependable is carrying more than everyone else. That can work for a while, especially with ambitious employees. Eventually something has to come with it advancement, compensation, recognition, additional help, or a change in responsibilities.
SHRM’s recent research also found a connection between ongoing upskilling opportunities and employees feeling more engaged, satisfied, and committed to their organizations. That makes sense to me because development gives someone a reason to picture a future with the company rather than only thinking about the job they have today. This would be especially important in a startup like Mindful Money. Losing one strong employee out of a six-person team is completely different from losing one person in a company with thousands of employees. I would want to know what my strongest employees actually want before another company asks them. By the time someone gives notice and accepts another offer, the retention conversation is probably happening several months too late.
References
Herrenkohl, E. (2010). How to Hire A-Players. John Wiley & Sons.
Society for Human Resource Management. (2026). The Skills-First Movement: Redefining How Organizations Hire and Grow.