039: Why Your A-Players Leave (And How to Prevent It)
Losing a top performer is brutal—and often preventable. In this episode, Erik goes beyond the cliché of “people don’t leave companies, they leave managers” to unpack the real reasons your best people walk out the door. He reveals three leadership moves that will keep your rock stars engaged, growing, and aligned—without relying on promotions, titles, or raises.
❓ The Big Question
What can you do as a leader to stop losing your best people—even if you can’t offer them more money or a bigger title?
💡 Key Takeaways
- Top performers leave when you coddle underperformers.
- Your best talent wants accountability, not a free pass.
- Holding even your A-players accountable fuels their growth.
- Most people work to live, not live to work—find alignment with that truth.
- Skills, experiences, and responsibilities are the three levers that make alignment stick.
🧠 Concepts, Curves, and Frameworks
- Coddling Underperformers → Driving your best people out by lowering the standard.
- Accountability for A-Players → Challenging high performers so they keep growing.
- The Alignment Triad → Skills, experiences, and responsibilities as the three forces that tie work to life goals.
- Facilitator vs. Leader → Negotiating perks isn’t leadership; creating growth and alignment is.
🔁 Real-Life Reflections
- Erik recalls losing three rock stars (Jason, Anthony, and Michael) because he didn’t know how to pull these levers.
- Most leaders default to promotions, raises, or titles they can’t give—missing the leadership moves they can.
- When high performers feel stagnant or surrounded by mediocrity, they disengage—or leave.
🧰 Put This Into Practice
- Stop coddling underperformers—raise the bar for everyone.
- Hold your top performers accountable to their next level, not just the team’s current level.
- Ask three alignment questions:
- What skills are you trying to develop?
- What experiences do you want more (or less) of?
- What responsibilities would you like to own?
- Connect their current work to these answers—and watch retention soar.
🗣️ Favorite Quotes
“The best talent wants to be around the best talent.”
“If your rock stars are only giving 80%, you’ve already lost them.”
“Top performers don’t avoid accountability—they crave it.”
“Most people don’t live to work; they work to live.”
“Leadership is about creating alignment, not just negotiating perks.”
