5 tips to keep your top-notch employees onboard

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Just because unemployment numbers are up doesn't mean your team members will automatically stick around. In these times, it's even more crucial that your best team members stay by your side. Here are five tips from Joe Takash, author of Results Through Relationships: Building Trust, Performance and Profit Through People (Wiley, 2008), on retaining your top talent.

1. Determine what motivates your top team members. People are more content in their jobs if they feel that their careers are headed in the right direction. Ask your team members where they see their career going, including what new skills they might like to learn, and how you can help them achieve their career goals.

2. Schedule routine individual meetings. A dedicated time for feedback and updates for each team member keeps the communication lines open. You can take the time to recognize their contributions to your practice, and you may discover problems they're afraid to bring up in staff meetings.

3. Delegate. Each of your team members has individual talents, so assign responsibilities that embrace those talents and keep the team members challenged and engaged. They'll feel valuable and trustworthy, and you might have more time on your hands.

4. Become an effective teacher. Just telling team members how to do something doesn't mean they've learned it. Each person learns differently, so be patient and confirm that he or she understands.

5. Share knowledge. Rumors and false impressions on job performance can germinate if team members don't know what's really going on with the practice or how they're doing in their jobs. Be sure to update your team members regularly to stop these rumors and false impressions and improve overall morale.