Love 'em or Lose 'em: Getting Good People to Stay

In working with literally thousands of managers a year, I find very few complaining about employee turn-over. Or its more positively stated corollary, retention of great people. That doesn't mean that attrition of great associates isn't a problem---just one that most managers overlook or choose to ignore for its embarrassing implications. What most managers do complain about (ad nauseum) can be summed up in two words: employee motivation. Which, of course, has everything to do with causing the very costly problem of human leakage from the company payroll (as well as most of the frustrations that deny managers restful nights and peaceful days).And so, it is such a shame that the title of this superbly helpful guide is misleading. Or at least inadequate. Instead of "Love 'Em or Lose 'Em," it should declare, more appropriately: "Keep 'Em: Engaged, Motivated to Produce, and on YOUR Payroll!" Clunkier for sure. But much more accurate. If not compelling.This book by veteran consultants Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans is a handy advisor for pressured, task-based (and, yes, even gruff) managers who are too consumed to always remember---but who know down deep---that people, the engaged and motivated variety, really do make the difference in producing great results.POINTS OF DISTINCTIONUnlike so many other collections of myriad motivational techniques, this book is: * Grounded in research (current and original by the authors, as well as contemporary and classic studies by others) * Flush with very real world examples---many of them likely will seem hauntingly familiar and hit frighteningly close to home (perhaps striking dead-on in your very own solar plexus) * Aimed squarely at managers who ordinarily reject, refute, and yeah-but all the trite touchy-feely, overly saccharine, and unrealistically techniquey advice about motivating people. (You know, the kind spewed by the legions of naive-to-clueless consultants who manage nothing more than to pen ridiculously over-idealized management books.) * Packed with rich, diverse, immediately actionable tactics that are practical, low-or-no-cost, and doable. No matter how uninvolved or inept your own boss or HR department, you'll find lots and lots of choices and material from which even the most casual, or cynical, skimming reader can easily draw. (As the authors note in their Preface: "'Love 'Em or Lose 'Em' does not offer a single technique or a large, complex program for keeping good people. Instead, it provides 26 strategies, each of which includes dozens of small, easy-to-implement ideas." True enough.)Unlike far too many "management cookbooks" (some unreasonably popular), this work distinguishes itself by helping a manager to: * Assess his or her own management style---not against the standard of an imaginary "perfect leader" but rather in specific dimensions that truly affect employee performance; and * Accept responsibility for affecting employees' engagement, productivity, and reten

LOVE 'EM or LOSE `EM contains 26 steps for improving employee retention organized in an A-Z fashion. Although written during the recent boom times when retention was a challenge, information presented is quite valuable now for managers who wish to stay employed. The suggestions will promote a happier and more productive workforce. Many of the concepts can be applied to all interpersonal relationships - between co-workers, family and friends.The book's presentation is visually appealing - section headings and key passages are in a complimentary blue font. There are various other eye-catching features that make the book interesting and exciting. Each chapter starts with a short statement from a fictitious employee referred to as A.J some key excerpts followIntroduction: I quit. I'm giving you my notice. I found another opportunity. I've accepted another offer. Can we talk?Chapter 1 Ask - What Keeps You They never asked.Chapter 2 Buck - It Stops Here I think my manager actually could have kept me. But I don't think he ever saw it as his job.Chapter 5 Enrich - Energize the Job The job just became ho-hum. I mean, I was good at it, my customers were pleased, but I was just plain bored.Chapter 13 Mentor - Be One I wish I'd had someone to warn me about some of the political ins and outs that were never written in any policy manual.Chapter 18 Reward - Provide Recognition It wasn't about the money, really. Oh, sure, a bonus would have been nice when I brought that new client in or when I finished those specs ahead of schedule. But a "thank you-I noticed" would really have been appreciated.Generously distributed throughout are "Alas" sections - short, as the authors state, "the-fish-that-got-away" stories that actually happened. There are numerous "Business Examples" - things that really worked in large and small organizations. As references to other parts of the book there are "Go To" Icons to augment the information being presented. If you're wondering how effective your management skills are in retaining employees, go to Chapter 26 - Zenith and take the assessment of your "Retention Probability Index".At the end of the book is a Quick Start Guide - you might want to go there first and get an overview of the entire book.Employee retention as well as productivity is not just about the money and the other "hygiene" factors (work space, hours, etc.), it's about listening to and respecting others. In these difficult times, it's more important than ever. This book is clearly for everyone.

Love 'Em or Lose 'Em is a wonderful resource for any manager looking to retain valuable talent. Because the book is organized into topic areas that span an array of pertinent retention issues, one can easily jump around to those topics that are most relevant to them. Each chapter contains constructive and concrete suggestions, along with insightful quotes from employees who have dealt with decisions to stay or leave an organization. Also, the many opportunities for self-assessment are extremely helpful. It would be impossible to walk away from this book without any new ideas for retaining employees that are vital to your organization. The authors have successfully translated a compendium of research into practical, how-to explanations of what motivates people to stay in a job and what managers can do to influence this outcome. This combination of knowledge and advice create an experience of worthwhile reading and exploration.

Love 'Em or Lose 'Em is one of those books you want to give to every manager, supervisor, executive who has ever let a talented employee walk out the door, in turn causing them thousands of dollars to replace. Dr. Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans have made this book full of easy to use activities and useful To-do lists that are critical tools for ANYONE who has employees that they would hate to lose. I found the book extremely easy to read, and the 26 chapters fun to go through. The book is designed so that you can take and apply one chapter (or retention strategy) at a time, instead of being overwhelmed by trying to apply them all at once. A lot of the strategies in the book are common sense, but I know that managers still don't apply them when an employee is about to walk out the door. I would hope that ALL managers, supervisors, executives, etc. would apply just ONE strategy. I think they would be amazed and surprised at the effectiveness this one attempt would have on changing the employee's mind to stay. I highly recommend this book for all organizations, and for all levels within the organization. It truly is the best book I have read on retention strategies, and the authors make the book so applicable to the challenges faced in today's tight labor market!

Based on focus group research, the authors provide extensive guidelines for managers to retain employees. The authors present 26 specific actions managers can take, using a chapter to discuss each one. Each chapter contains a 'to do' list, brief illustrative stories, examples of retention work done by the authors' for clients, excerpts from an exit interview, as well as some linkages between chapters. The book down-plays the role of money. This is okay to the extent that too many firms think money is the 'be all and end all' of retention. Money is not, but the danger is that too many firms lull themselves into thinking that since money is not the number one factor driving turnover according to surveys, they can cut corners with compensation ( often, however, with the exception of pay packages at executive levels-consider the implicit contradiction in that). Long-term, firms that pay below competitive rates reap what they sow...marginal organizational performance. In our consulting experience we find reward systems and retention are powerfully linked. The role of compensation can work in strange and mysterious ways-and sometimes not so mysterious. People are complex. We wished that the authors gave a bit more attention to the economics of retaining people. They do make the point of paying fairly and competitively in chapter18, but the message is muted. But since this book is addressed to managers, and most managers have little-to-no meaningful influence on compensation decision-making (despite all the empowerment talk), the treatment of pay is understandable. This is a super book that focuses on the many highly important non-cash elements of retaining people. In doing so, it succeeds admirably. In short, this is a neatly organized, clearly written, how-to book. By way of recommendation, we will use it as a resource in our own organization/management development consulting work. This book should be read by anyone who manages people. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, Co-Founding Partner, Stern & Associates, Editor of Stern's Management Review, Stern's SourceFinder: The Master Directory to HR and Business Information and Resources, and Stern's CyberSpace SourceFinder.