Survey: 26% of Companies Fail to Retain High-Potential Employees

According to a survey of 562 senior managers and executives by AMA Enterprise, 26% of employers are ineffective in retaining their high-potential workers. Even though more than half (56%) are considered “somewhat effective” at hanging on to high-performing talent, only 18% are “very effective,” according to the survey’s findings. “Management succession and future leadership are paramount concerns at most companies today,” says Sandi Edwards, Senior VP of AMA Enterprise, a specialized division of American Management Association that offers advisory services and tailored learning programs to organizations. “Yet their efforts to hold on to their best people often fail. Some organizations make only intermittent attempts to identify their up-and-comers, and it seems that those that do so meet with mixed success.” According to Edwards, organizations should focus their high-potentials program on leadership development. “Talented, motivated individuals need to be developed in a number of ways, including mentoring or coaching, training, stretch assignments, action projects, cross-functional teaming and job rotation,” she explains. “Naturally, such programs should align with the business needs of the organization. Finally, employers must measure the desired behaviors and calculate success.” For more info, contact Arlene Bein, Director of Marketing, AMA Enterprise, at 212-903-7935 or abein@amanet.org.