Your Top Performers Are Always Being Recruited: Here’s How to Keep Them

The latest labor market headlines have been hard to ignore: job growth has slowed, with employers adding only around 35,000 jobs on average over the past three months as of July, down from around 128,000 earlier this year. 

But despite this cooling off, nearly half of workers (48%) say they are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months. The bottom line? Even with economic indicators urging caution, your top performers aren’t taking a timeout from their ambition. Because even when jobs are harder to come by, top talent doesn’t stick around out of loyalty—they stay because you make it worth it. Here’s how to do that.

Understand What Top Performers Value Most

Reality check: your top performers aren’t hanging around because the job is “safe.” They have options! They likely stay because it’s challenging, meaningful, and gives them room to grow. For them, job security is a nice-to-have, not the main reason they show up every morning.

Identifying what they really want in a role is important, and can really only be done with a conversation. If you assume you know their preferences, you may be spending energy on something with no return! Drill down on what growth opportunities will stretch their skills, ensure work aligns with their values and the company’s mission, and nurture the trust and grant the autonomy it takes to make an impact without being micromanaged. If you’re not offering those things, someone else will.

Take Action: Don’t guess—ask. Conduct stay interviews with your top talent to find out what’s keeping them engaged and what might tempt them to leave. Think of it as a proactive retention check-up instead of a post-mortem exit interview.

Make Growth Non-Negotiable

For high performers, standing still feels a lot like moving backward. Growth can’t be a perk you offer when there’s extra budget; it has to be baked into the culture. Build personalized development plans that reflect their unique strengths and aspirations, instead of a generic “everyone takes the same training” approach. And don’t just focus on skills for their current role—invest in capabilities that prepare them for where they want to go next, even if that’s a few steps ahead of their current title.

For high performers, standing still feels a lot like moving backward.

Take Action: Pair high performers with mentors or place them on cross-functional projects that broaden their perspective and network. Not only does it keep them engaged and facilitate continuous learning and development, but it also signals that you see their potential and you’re willing to invest in it. Put a development plan check-in reminder on the calendar at least twice a year so this doesn’t get pushed aside when life gets busy. 

Recognition That Actually Resonates

For top performers, “Great job!” is about as satisfying as a vending machine snack—it’s fine in a pinch, but it’s not going to keep them sated for long. Generic praise rings hollow, and what they crave is recognition that’s specific, timely, and directly tied to the impact they’ve made.

That means swapping vague platitudes for concrete acknowledgments: “Your quick pivot on that client deliverable saved the account,” or “Your data analysis gave us the insight we needed to close the deal.” The more personal, the more they’ll feel seen.

Take Action: Public recognition can go a long way. Be sure to credit contributions in all-hands meetings, team newsletters, or even at industry events. 

Here is a simple recognition formula: "Thank you! Your <specific behavior> resulted in <this positive outcome>."

Align Work with Purpose

High performers aren’t just looking for a job, and if their day-to-day tasks feel disconnected from the bigger picture, even the most competitive salary won’t keep them engaged. Your role as a leader is to connect the dots between what they do and why it matters.

That means going beyond the company’s mission statement hanging in the lobby. Help your top performers find ways to align the company’s goals with their priorities, not just yours. Give them room to lead projects that tap into their personal passions, whether it’s sustainability, diversity, or innovation. Purpose isn’t one-size-fits-all, but when you can show someone that their work serves both the organization’s purpose and their own purpose and values, you create a reason to stay that no recruiter can outbid.

Take Action: Share real stories about the impact their work has on clients, the community, or the organization’s future. Ask them to describe how their work aligns with their passions (there is power in them articulating this instead of you). Don't know how to do this? Reach out - I'm happy to share ideas that work. When possible, invite them into conversations about strategy or innovation so they see their fingerprints on the outcome.

Remove Friction, Protect Energy

One of the fastest ways to burn out your best people is to treat them like an infinite resource. Yes, top performers can handle more, but that doesn’t mean they should. High performers thrive in challenge, not in chronic overload. 

Start by clearing the path so they can focus on what they do best. Cut unnecessary meetings, streamline approval processes, and delegate the admin-heavy work that drags their energy away from high-impact projects. If they spend more time navigating bureaucracy than solving problems, you’re wasting their talent and frustrating them at the same time. Protect their focus time, and watch for signs of quiet exhaustion.

Take Action: Ask them what tasks drain their time and consider ways to delegate or change it up. Encourage them to take PTO where they can fully unplug. This sends the message that you value their energy as much as their output. It also allows a reality check so you can make sure the team’s success doesn’t hinge on the performance of one or two top individuals. If you can’t survive a week without your top performer, then something needs to change.

Build Loyalty Beyond Compensation

Competitive pay gets top performers in the door, but it’s not what keeps them. The real loyalty builders are the things that make them feel invested, valued, and seen beyond their paycheck.

Start with flexibility. Give them control over where, when, and how they work, so they can deliver their best without sacrificing their personal lives. Pair that with leadership visibility—make sure they have direct access to decision-makers, not just their immediate manager. Career sponsorship is another powerful lever: advocate for them in rooms they aren’t in, and actively create pathways to their next big opportunity.

Take Action: If you want to really deepen commitment, think long-term incentives like equity or profit-sharing. When your top people feel like true stakeholders in the organization’s success, they’re far less likely to answer the recruiter’s call—because they already have skin in the game where they are.

The Bottom Line: Make Staying the Best Offer on the Table

Your top performers don’t need to browse job boards; they’re already on someone else’s shortlist. The real question is whether your offer to stay feels more compelling than any offer to leave. Retention isn’t a “once-a-year engagement survey” effort—it’s an everyday practice of showing your best people they’re valued, challenged, and invested in. It’s also an ongoing, collaborative dialogue. Start today, before a recruiter gives them another reason to go.