Top Talent  Will Help You...Let Them Know You Care

• 88% OF TOP PERFORMERS ARE NOT FULLY ENGAGED
• 24% OF LAYOFF SURVIVORS ARE ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR NEW JOBS
• 64% OF EMPLOYEES FEEL UNMOTIVATED EVEN IF THEY SURVIVE A LAYOFF

At performance review time, the senior vice president of organizational capabilities at American Express reads employee reviews and attaches a handwritten note to each one. "Not only does this bolster individuals and their leaders, it shows that I care about what is happening several layers down in the organization." It takes him only ten minutes to write comments for each of the eighty reviews he reads, but the payback--employees knowing that he cares--is priceless.

Top Talent  Will Help You...Create Opportunity

At Time Warner, a vice president was faced with cuts in staff and budget. Rather than just trim costs, she challenged her staff to think big about how to achieve their department's goals. At an off-site meeting, she told her team, "Make believe we are starting from zero. If you were told you had X amount of money and had to build a program, what would it look like?" By getting everyone to focus on the opportunities (rather than the losses), she sparked creativity and commitment in her team.

Top Talent  Will Help You...Keep Moving Forward

Cisco created a series of high-profile teams to spearhead change in the company's business model. These teams are comprised of Cisco's most outstanding talent from across the company. This has helped employees stay engaged and feel valued. According to the vice president of talent at Cisco, "20% of those who participated have been promoted to vice president--indeed, we've only lost 2% of these high-profile employees since the program started. It has been a huge retention and acceleration tool."