Keep Your Top Talent Out of the Portal

Retention is the new recruitment — are you re-recruiting your MVPs to stay?

Top performers always have options.

Just like athletes in the transfer portal, they’re being watched, recruited, and tempted every single day. The question is — are you giving them enough reasons to stay?

People don’t leave because of a paycheck or a title. They leave when they stop feeling seen, challenged, or valued. They leave when the mission no longer feels personal. If your team made a list today, would their reasons to stay outnumber their reasons to leave?

When attrition starts to rise, that’s your cue to lock in. Pay attention. Don’t wait for the resignation email to realize you’ve lost your MVP. Championship leaders don’t recruit once — they re-recruit every day.

They listen, act, recognize impact, and push growth. They make sure their people feel connected to something bigger than themselves.

If you’re truly listening, what are your people telling you? Are you acting on it? Are you removing barriers, coaching confidence, and creating opportunities for them to grow?

The best teams — on the court and in business — don’t wait until they lose stars to fix culture. They build it strong enough that staying is the obvious choice.

Retention isn’t HR’s job — it’s leadership.Keep your top talent out of the portal before someone else signs them.