7 Keys To Hiring And Retaining The Right People

Planning Begets Success

Employers must go beyond having a simple job description for new hires and should instead develop a strategic business plan to put new employees on the path to success, the head of a software and consulting company says.

David Russell, founder and CEO of Novato, Calif.-based Manage to Win, spoke during a breakout session Sunday at XChange 2016 in San Antonio about what companies can do to ensure they hire only superstars and above-average employees. Russell was joined by Tom Cuthbert, chairman of Vistage International, a San Diego-based executive coaching organization.

One solution provider, Entrust Technology Consulting Services stopped doing annual evaluations last year in favor of giving employees regular feedback, according to Mitchell Sowards, president of San Antonio-based Entrust's Envision team. Sowards, who attended the session, said Entrust just started rolling out more detailed engagement plans for new employees, and is now seeing new hires perform much better.

Here are Russell's seven things employers should do to hire and retain the right people.