Zen and the Art of Talent Retention

There's a popular adage that goes something like this: "They may forget what you said—but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

This sentiment struck me in the midst of four days of excitement at the recent Specialty Coffee Association Expo. This was my third expo and I was growing progressively bolder and more engaged at each one. I quickly learned that being from a behemoth like Starbucks was always polarizing. There were always those who appreciated Starbucks' contributions to the coffee industry and those who did not, and it did not matter how large or small of a role I played. Thankfully, transparency, grace, humility, and humor seemed to break whatever invisible barriers existed in most cases.

Despite making a wealth of positive interactions, I still felt paralyzed and apprehensive when it came to interacting with one particular company. They considered Starbucks their number one threat. Fear and negative thoughts flooded my mind whenever I passed this company's multiple booths. I could not shake the terrible feelings from last year of being ungracefully asked to give back this company's promotional materials and subjected to a laundry list of awkward justifications for doing so. It was an unfortunate incident that I have relayed to many others since. Unfortunate because I had been a personal customer of this company, and very loyal in this category as well as somewhat influential in my circles, which they did not bother to find out about me. This company's representative was so concerned about protecting their business from a perceived potential threat that they turned their own customer against them.

I can think of countless other instances in recent history where I finally quit offering my enthusiasm, expertise, and energy to someone who made me feel poorly for doing my best and for failing to recognize what I could contribute. I have since found replacement teams and organizations that do show appreciation and recognition in the ways that matter to me. I speak highly of these teams and surreptitiously play a role in recruitment for them in doing so. Whether it's personal or business, do you know how your talent views you as a leader and as a representative of your team? Whether you lead an informal sports team, a coffeehouse crew, or a team of engineers, failure to recognize your own and your leadership's impact on those individuals can result in lower engagement, commitment, and retention.

In my experience, most long-standing volunteer-run efforts struggle with both a lack of bodies and a lack of engagement from existing volunteers. I have rarely seen any of these organizations dig deeper to understand why recruitment and retention suffer; rather, they opt to continue the status quo and churn through new members hoping for a different result. Fortunately, change can begin with a question as simple as, "Why do you like being involved with this effort?" and letting the dialogue flow from there with a curious mindset.

I speak only as a career volunteer across many industries, and not as a professional in talent acquisition or retention. I'm invested in doing my best and I hope that those who I've committed my time to are committed to reciprocating the sentiment. Don't risk turning your own talent and customers against you! Create a welcoming culture and environment for all and the rest should follow.