In an employee-driven workforce, it’s more important than ever for organizations to attract and retain quality team members. In an education session at the 2024 Axxess Growth, Innovation and Leadership Experience (AGILE), Sonnie Linebarger, Founder and CEO of Evoke Greatness, and Eric Scharber, Executive Vice President of SimiTree, shared strategies organizations can implement to cultivate a high-performing team.
Work-Life Balance
The pair began the session with a discussion on the importance of work-life balance, addressing the need for leaders to prioritize creating an environment that employees want to be engaged in, as well as adapting to the needs and desires of the current workforce.
“None of us want to work 100 hours a week,” Scharber said. “So, it’s up to us to adapt to this workforce that we’re dealing with right now, which is primarily millennials and Gen Z.”
The two advised organizations to create a distinctive environment that sets them apart from their competitors, emphasizing flexibility in the workplace and work-life balance as a key strategy to attract talent.
Company Culture
Buying into the organization’s mission and vision plays a key role in keeping employees engaged, the pair noted during the session. Linebarger emphasized the importance of employees being actively engaged in the process and feeling that they play a significant role in shaping the organization’s culture.
“It can’t just be here’s our mission statement,” Linebarger said. “Like put a stamp on it and everybody believes in it, it doesn’t work like that.”
Scharber echoed the sentiment and added that compensation, as well as the organization’s financial performance is also crucial to a positive company culture. He noted that a company experiencing financial success and promoting employees because of that growth will foster a strong and positive company culture.
“That’s what people want, opportunities to advance, work-life balance, compensation,” Scharber said.
Recruitment and Retention
When discussing strategies for addressing recruitment and retention challenges, Linebarger and Scharber emphasized the critical importance of leaders taking care of their existing employees.
“It’s about building bench strength and about pouring into and developing your people,” Linebarger said.
The pair advised leaders to consider forming a committee or designating a specific person to focus on retention. They noted that existing HR teams can often handle this responsibility, eliminating the need for external assistance and additional funding.
“Build committees at different levels to say what’s really working here, what’s not working here, what are people talking about,” Linebarger said.
The pair also stressed that leaders should prioritize investing in employee training and development, providing recognition and appreciation and striving to understand their colleagues’ priorities as key strategies to address retention and recruitment challenges.
“Take the time to listen,” Linebarger said. “Most of the problems and complex issues within a company can be solved by the people who are around you. You just have to be willing to listen. You have to be willing to ask the right questions.”
With more than 350 attendees, more than 50 sponsors and countless connections made, AGILE was a massive success for everyone. Check out the recap video and register for AGILE 2025, May 5-7 in Dallas.