 Calling all CEOs and HR professionals, do you want to win the war on talent? I assume so is one of the most common challenges I hear from my corporate clients is the difficulty they're having winning the war on talent. Well, the very first step to winning the war on talent is not letting talent leave. How do you do that? You create a culture where team members feel safe, valued, respected, included, supported, appreciated, and cared for. You create a culture where team members feel a sense of community, feel their skills are being maximized and utilized, feel they are making a meaningful contribution and feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. You create a culture where team members feel aligned with your organizational core values, mission, and vision, feel like they are fairly compensated and feel like they have a voice in how they perform their work. You create a culture where team members know their role, embrace their role, and take pride in starring in their role to the best of their ability. Where communication and feedback is open and honest and where accountability is welcomed, given graciously and received gracefully. You create a culture where the organizational beliefs and personal behaviors are congruent. What we say we do and what we do is aligned. Where team members feel they are improving, developing, and evolving and where they have a crystal clear path of career growth and advancement. You create a culture so strong that team members don't want to leave. Dr. Gary Chapman, the renowned author of the Five Love Languages, conducted a massive research study years ago and found that 70% of U.S. employees across a wide variety of industries felt underappreciated and 64% of them left their job because of it. Geez, that is equal parts staggering and unacceptable. As leaders, we need to be very intentional in showing our team members how much we appreciate the sacrifices they make, the effort they put forward, and the work they do. Rare and extraneous circumstances aside, no one, and I repeat, no one, leaves a job they enjoy, find fulfilling, and where they feel appreciated. I said it before and I'll say it again. The first step to winning the war on talent is not letting talent leave.