As someone who works daily with talented professionals navigating their career journeys, I’ve witnessed a troubling pattern: organizations losing their best people not because of compensation or benefits, but because of something far more fundamental—a failure to truly develop and engage their talent.
Over the past year, I’ve had countless conversations with high-performers who felt stuck, undervalued, or simply invisible in their organizations. The common thread? They weren’t looking for more money. They were looking for more meaning, growth, and genuine connection to their work and colleagues.
The Real Retention Challenge
The statistics are staggering, but the stories behind them are what should keep leaders awake at night. I’ve seen brilliant marketing directors leave because they never received meaningful feedback on their strategic thinking. I’ve watched emerging leaders walk away because they felt like names on an org chart rather than valued contributors to something bigger.
Here’s what I’ve learned: retention isn’t about perks or ping-pong tables. It’s about creating an environment where people feel seen, challenged, and genuinely supported in their growth.Over the past year, I’ve had countless conversations with high-performers who felt stuck, undervalued, or simply invisible in their organizations. The common thread? They weren’t looking for more money. They were looking for more meaning, growth, and genuine connection to their work and colleagues.
What Actually Keeps People Engaged
From my perspective working with diverse professionals across industries, the organizations that retain top talent excel in three critical areas:
- Intentional Development Conversations The best leaders I’ve encountered don’t wait for annual reviews to discuss career growth. They create regular touchpoints where they genuinely explore their team members’ aspirations, concerns, and ideas. These aren’t checkbox conversations—they’re meaningful exchanges that help people see their path forward.
- Cross-Functional Exposure High-performers crave variety and challenge. The companies that keep them engaged actively create opportunities for cross-departmental projects, strategic initiatives, and exposure to different aspects of the business. They understand that career growth isn’t always vertical—sometimes it’s horizontal, and often it’s diagonal.
- Authentic Inclusion I’ve seen too many diversity initiatives that focus on numbers without addressing the deeper question: do people from different backgrounds truly feel valued for their unique perspectives? The organizations that excel at retention create environments where diverse voices aren’t just heard—they’re actively sought out and incorporated into decision-making.
The Mentoring Multiplier Effect
One of the most powerful retention tools I’ve observed is strategic mentoring—not just formal programs, but organic relationships where experienced professionals genuinely invest in developing others. When people feel they have advocates and guides within the organization, their loyalty and engagement increase exponentially.
But here’s the key: effective mentoring isn’t about assigning senior leaders to junior staff. It’s about creating a culture where knowledge-sharing, guidance, and mutual learning happen naturally across all levels.
Through my work with professionals at various career stages, I’ve identified several red flags that predict talent departure:
- People stop volunteering for challenging projects
- They become less vocal in meetings and strategic discussions
- They start networking more actively outside the organization
- They express frustration about feeling “stuck” or “underutilized”
A Different Approach
What if we stopped treating retention as a problem to solve and started seeing it as an opportunity to create something extraordinary? What if we focused on building organizations where people don’t just stay—they thrive?
This means moving beyond traditional career development to create experiences that truly transform how people see themselves and their possibilities. It means investing in real relationships, meaningful challenges, and authentic growth opportunities.
Because here’s what I’ve learned: when you genuinely invest in developing your people, retention becomes a natural byproduct. When people feel valued, challenged, and supported in their growth, they become your strongest advocates—both internally and in the market.
The question isn’t whether you can afford to invest in real talent development. It’s whether you can afford not to.
By Irene Domingo, Community & Talent Engagement Manager at LS International