EP 209 | Make Retention a HABIT | Dr. Sharon Grossman
An engineer at Hewlett-Packard ran into his manager’s office with a breakthrough. The manager wanted to say thank you on the spot. He reached into his lunch bag and handed over the only thing he had: a banana. It became the Golden Banana Award. In this week’s episode, psychologist Dr. Sharon Grossman talks with Dr. Joey about the fifteen-minute daily habit that keeps your top talent on your team. Who on your team earned a golden banana yesterday?
ABOUT THE GUEST
Dr. Sharon Grossman is a psychologist, keynote speaker and retention strategist. She helps organizations reduce turnover, strengthen leadership and create work cultures where people are motivated to stay. She combines behavioral science with practical systems that improve engagement, performance and retention, and she has for more than 25 years. Her executive coaching helps leaders recover from burnout, and her retention work extends that care to frontline teams. Her HABIT system equips people leaders to do five things in a fifteen-minute daily huddle: Huddles, Appreciation, Barometer, Improvement and Tracking. She’s the author of several books, including Don’t Buy Their Lunch! Buy Their Loyalty. You discover her books, speaking, coaching and consulting at drsharongrossman.com.
Key Insights
- Know your turnover cost. Replacing one person costs two and a half to 10 times their annual salary. Dr. Sharon starts every engagement with your turnover rate.
- Equip the top talent you promote. Your best frontline performers often step into management before anyone trains them. A simple daily system equips them to lead.
- Huddle for fifteen minutes at the start of each shift. Most of the huddle centers on people, with small sections on operations and performance.
- Turn your values into observable behaviors. “Safety first” becomes “If you see something on the ground, pick it up.”
- Check the barometer. A QR code asks, “How are you doing today?” The huddle leader sees the team’s mood in real time.
- Appreciate someone every day. Name one person and what they did the day before. Then open the floor to peer recognition.
- Ask what your people need to do an even better job. Come back the next day with a follow-up report, and your people feel heard and valued.
- Track the data. Trends in mood, retention and performance tell you what to ask next. Huddles, Appreciation, Barometer, Improvement and Tracking spell HABIT.
Your Do One Thing Challenge
Dr. Sharon’s Do One Thing (DOT) for you this week: Appreciate your people every day. “The more people feel appreciated for the work that they do, the more likely they’re going to stay,” she says. Name one person at your next team meeting and the specific thing they did yesterday. Then invite the team to recognize each other.
Connect with Dr. Sharon Grossman
Website: https://drsharongrossman.com
LinkedIn: Dr. Sharon Grossman | LinkedIn
Book: Don’t Buy Their Lunch! Buy Their Loyalty https://link.amazon/B04PA1Xq0
At drsharongrossman.com you discover her books, speaking, coaching and consulting on burnout and employee retention.
Connect with Dr. Joey
- Podcasts: https://workpositive.today/podcasts
- Newsletter: https://workpositive.today/newsletter
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette
episode, Kate talks with Dr. Joey about attracting top talent with total rewards and retaining them as you follow through. Who on your team waits for you to invest first?
ABOUT THE GUEST
Katherine (Kate) Kobs is a human resources leader who creates people-first HR functions. She created them across manufacturing, municipal government, energy, and retail companies. She loves translating compliance into practical guidance managers use to positively influence their culture. Today she leads HR for an organization with entities spread across Wisconsin. She also serves as a human resources sergeant in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. Kate lives in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She shares inspiring stories about work culture on LinkedIn. She welcomes your questions there.
Key Insights
- Attract top talent with total rewards. Base pay is one part of the package. Boomers through Gen Z each weigh it against their own values, from paid parental leave to time to care for an aging parent.
- Let candidates hear your values lived out. A car dealership supervisor once walked Kate from site to site and told his team, "Tell her your story."
- Follow through on every interview promise. Kate says, "If you invest in people, they're gonna invest back in you."
- Listen, then tell your people what you heard. Stay interviews, exit interviews, and pulse checks work when you say, "We heard this. In response, we're doing this."
- Little things retain people. One team asked Kate to bring back Doughnut Fridays. She brought them back.
- Hire for culture fit. One rotten fruit in the bowl spoils the fresh fruit faster. Dr. Joey calls those team members, Eeyore Vampires.
- Give continuous feedback. Kate asks, "Why wait until your annual review?"
- Check in before anyone needs you. Kate calls her store managers so a call from HR becomes a touch point.
Your Do One Thing Challenge
Kate's Do One Thing (DOT) for you this week: Invest in your people. "They're gonna invest right back in you," she says. Discover which benefits your culture offers that align with your team members' values. Then use your total rewards to attract people who fit your culture.
Connect with Kate Kobs
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-kobs/
Kate welcomes your LinkedIn message with a question about how she leads HR.
Connect with Dr. Joey
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