Whether it’s reflecting on the last 8 months and putting in some new goals for the remaining year or looking outwards to the new year, September always feels like a fresh start.  I read an article this morning about HR trends in 2019 that leaders should be starting to think about. The primary theme, which was no surprise, is that there is a talent shortage and despite 75% of companies utilizing recruitment technology it’s time to shift some of the focus onto what goes on after the candidate is through the door or turnover will remain prevalent.

Focusing on your beyond day 1 is a critical piece when it comes to retaining your superstar talent and yes, the hardest part. It typically involves change management and a radical shift in our way of thinking. It means asking yourself the hard questions, answering honestly and then coming up with a multi pronged plan to execute. This is what the great companies of the world are constantly doing, they self reflect on a regular basis and ask themselves what they can do to improve. They see their culture as a living and breathing thing that is constantly evolving.

While these great companies take years to build their culture its never too late to self reflect. So, in the spirit of the September fresh start ask yourself these 3 questions and answer honestly:

1. Does my team understand their purpose in the organization or their department?
2. Does my team understand where we want to go as an organization?
3. What is our organization offering and doing to engage our superstars?

Once you’re through that exercise come up with 1 actionable item that you want to work towards to improve on the gap you may have identified.

For example, maybe on question 1 you identified that during your new hire orientation its not clearly outlined how departments in your organization interact and why certain steps in a prescribe process are important. Your actionable item could be for a new hire to spend a few hours or a day in a different department.

Or maybe you realize on question 3 that you’re spending too much time on the under performers that you are neglecting your superstars. Your actionable item could be to simply go up to your high performers this week and recognize them individually for their contributions.

Regardless of how you answer the above questions, your superstars and people are the biggest asset in your organization. As a leader you continually re-evaluate your business goals and targets and you have to do the same with your people strategy.