Most exits could have been prevented with one honest conversation.

Mental Sparks

• Retention is rarely about money, it is about feeling seen and supported.
• people don’t leave organizations, they leave environments that stop listening.
• A short, intentional conversation today can save months of recruiting tomorrow.

Insights & Lessons

Turnover is one of the biggest challenges in education. Every time a teacher, support staff member, or administrator leaves, the ripple effects are huge: students lose consistency, colleagues feel the gap, and leaders scramble to fill the role.

Here’s the tough truth: most departures don’t happen overnight. They build slowly, from unmet needs, unspoken frustrations, or a sense of being undervalued. The good news is this also means they’re preventable.

That’s where the Stay Conversation comes in.

Unlike an exit interview (too late) or a performance review (too formal), a stay conversation is a short, proactive check-in designed to understand what keeps someone engaged and what might be getting in their way. Done regularly, it strengthens trust, surfaces issues early, and gives staff a voice.

At its core, the framework comes down to three questions:

1. What do you enjoy most about working here?
   This identifies the bright spots. It reinforces what’s working and what to protect.
   
2. What part of your work feels most challenging or frustrating right now?
   This allows staff to express pain points in a constructive way. Instead of focusing on leaving, it highlights areas where leaders can remove obstacles.
   
3. What can I (or the school) do to better support you?
   This creates a direct path to action and accountability. When leaders follow through, it builds trust.

How to Run the Conversation Well

The power of this framework isn’t just in the questions. It’s in how you ask them. A few tips:

• Tone: Keep it informal and human. This isn’t a meeting with an agenda; it’s a conversation that says “I value you.” Choose a setting where the employee feels comfortable, maybe a quick chat during planning time or over coffee.
  
• Timing: Fifteen minutes is enough. Schedule them at least once or twice a year, ideally outside of performance review season. This ensures the focus is on the person, not compliance.
  
• Follow-Up: Listening is step one. Acting is step two. Write down what you hear, share back key themes, and take action on at least one item. Even a small improvement shows you take their input seriously.

When done right, stay conversations don’t just prevent exits. They build stronger relationships, a healthier culture, and a sense of shared ownership in the school’s success.

What to Call It with Employees

While “Stay Conversation” is a useful name for leaders and HR teams, you don’t have to use that term with staff. In fact, using a different name can make the conversation feel more natural and less formal.

Some alternatives you might use with employees:

• “Connection Check-In”
• “Trust Talk”
• “Growth Chat”

The key is not what you call it, it’s how you frame it. You might simply say, “I’d love to set aside 15 minutes to check in on how things are going and how I can support you.” That way, the employee feels the intent is care and support, not evaluation.

Download Your Own Guide

Want something you can use right away? Download a copy of the Trust Talk Conversation Guide — a simple one-page tool with the three questions and space for notes.

Download Your Guide Here

Use it to structure your next check-in. Whether you call it a Stay Conversation on the leadership side or a Trust Talk with your staff, the impact is the same: stronger trust, fewer exits, and a healthier culture.

Daniel’s Daily Lens

This week I piloted this with small group of staff. What surprised me wasn’t a big issue with the pay or workload. It was the small, daily frustrations that mattered most, things like unclear communication between teams or inconsistent recognition. When leaders address those “little” things, they create an environment where people feel heard and valued.

Quote Worth Keeping

“People don’t quit jobs, they quit managers.” – Marcus Buckingham

Practical Takeaway

Schedule one stay conversation this week. Use the three questions. Keep it light, listen deeply, and commit to one follow-up action. You’ll be surprised how far a 15-minute conversation can go in keeping great people.

Keep building,
Daniel