Eight words. That’s how long it took me to explain the secret to building a team rich with talent:

To attract the best, bring out their best.

I say this not to self-congratulate, but instead to stress that doing this is more about execution than anything else. It’s not complicated.

The best talent wants to get better. They seek to work for people and organizations who will help them do that.

Leaders who understand this know that it’s not good enough to just tell talented employees how they did this year (i.e., a typical performance review). Instead, you must understand their goals and aspirations and help them move in those directions (i.e., developmental support).

This leads to two kinds of feedback/support:

First, what progress are you making on our behalf?

Second, what progress are you making for yourself?

Merely by acknowledging this second set of goals, you are moving in the right direction. When you do this, you demonstrate a true interest in others. You ask and acknowledge where they wish to head, what they hope to achieve and contribute.

More importantly, you pledge to support them.

The obvious pushback to this strategy is that some employees will use your developmental support and leverage it into a better job elsewhere. No matter. You still will begin to acquire a reputation as someone who brings out the best in others and advances their careers. As a result, you will attract even more talented individuals.

In fact, if you consistently apply this strategy, you will always have highly talented individuals not only working for you, but also getting better and better at a steady pace.

The path to getting what you want is to help smart people get what they want.