What China’s HR Leader told Me that Absolutely Cuts Turnover

Dinner, Pigeon, and a Listening Masterclass

Several years ago, I was invited by the HR Excellence Center of China to deliver a series of talks on how to reduce employee turnover. I went twice. Got to walk the Great Wall. Saw Shanghai’s vertical sprawl and Beijing’s history. And I had dinner with a CEO who, to this day, shaped how I talk about retention.

His name was John. That’s the English name he chose as a child, as many Chinese students do. Educated in England, fluent in British-accented English, and brilliant – but that’s not what made him remarkable.

John was the best listener I’ve ever met. He didn’t interrupt. He didn’t react. He listened so intently that silence became its own invitation to keep talking.

What I Told Him – and What He Told Me Back

At dinner, John asked one question: “What are you going to teach our members about reducing turnover?”

I explained that HR departments everywhere had been sold a lie. That exit surveys and engagement tools had driven them to invest in shiny programs – recognition weeks, new perks, internal communications campaigns. But none of it aligned with what research told us:

The #1 reason people stay or leave a job is the relationship they have with their direct supervisor.

I paused. John kept listening.

So I went further. I told him that HR had to shift retention ownership away from themselves and hand it to operations—where it belonged all along. But to do that, they first had to calculate the real dollar cost of turnover. Get Finance involved. Make it an executive problem, not just an HR one.

Then John finally spoke.

He said just one sentence:
“For HR to do this, they must have courage.”

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Further Reading: 100% Tariffs on One-Size-Fits-All Programs

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Still True. Still Hard. Still Worth It.

That dinner changed me.

I now close every presentation with a single slide: a lion’s face and the word “Courage.” Because John was right then, and he’s still right today.

Just last month, I spoke to three different audiences – one full of CEOs, the other two HR executives – and shared the same message:
If you want to fix retention, it’s not about more programs. It’s about leader accountability.

Set retention goals at the leader level. Train leaders to have meaningful Stay Interviews. And stop pretending the problem is perks.

The HR professionals in the audience nodded. Some relieved. Some energized. Many felt validated – finally someone said out loud what they’ve been thinking for years.

The CEOs? About half were ready to act. The other half…liked things just the way they were.

That’s the divide. And it’s also the opportunity.

What Keeps People Moving Isn’t What You Think

Most people don’t leave their jobs for more money. That’s just the excuse that’s easiest to say. The truth is:
They leave because something feels off.

Maybe the relationship with their manager is transactional. Maybe their voice doesn’t matter. Maybe no one’s bothered to ask what would keep them. So they go looking – because you made it easy. A search bar. A few clicks. An offer. And a polite “I’m leaving for more money” goodbye.

But if you had asked them earlier – really asked – they might still be here.

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Further Reading: Employee Turnover in 2025: Why Culture Matters More Than Compensation

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Retention Is an Operations Strategy, not an HR Program

The path forward is clear:

• Put a dollar cost on turnover.
• Establish leader-level retention goals.
• Train managers to hold Stay Interviews – early, often, and with sincerity.

This isn’t a theory. It’s a field-tested framework we’ve implemented with thousands of leaders. And it started with a man named John, who said very little – but said exactly what mattered.

If you’re ready to move retention responsibility to the people who actually manage people – let’s talk. Reach out to me at DFinnegan@C-SuiteAnalytics.com or connect with me on LinkedIn and I’ll show you how courage, clarity, and better conversations can turn your turnover problem into a bottom-line win.