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# The Middle
- URL: https://flagstone-insights.ghost.io/the-middle/
- Published: 2026-08-17T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-06T07:06:28.000Z
- Description: Belief: Accountability should never be a surprise.
- Author: Jared Pacileo
- Tags: Accountability should never be a surprise

Retention strategies are set during the interview but rarely get mentioned again.

Think about what gets said to a candidate before they accept: Here's the role. Here's where it could go. Here's how we'll review your pay. 

It's the clearest conversation that person will ever have with the company about where they stand. Then they start, and the attention moves off of the new employee.

Typically, it moves to the top performers you're afraid to lose and the bottom performers who need performance management. Everyone in between is left to figure out where they stand on their own.

That middle group turns out to be most of your company. They're doing the job, not causing problems, but haven't had real conversation about their performance since they were hired. Things are good, so why make it complicated?

The middle group is the easiest to lose. When a recruiter calls with a clear number and a clear role, the comparison is between a specific offer and a vague feeling. The specific offer usually wins.

This is the other side of a belief I come back to often: accountability should never be a surprise. Most people hear that and think about discipline. No one should be blindsided by a bad review, and that's true. But it runs both ways. A solid employee shouldn't be surprised to learn they're valued either. They should already know, because someone told them, on a schedule.

Accountability isn't a conversation you have when something breaks. It's a standard set before day one and a cadence that keeps it visible. When the standard is clear and the check-ins are consistent, the hard conversations get shorter and the good ones actually happen.

You don't need software for this. You need a solid cadence. Here is a simple version:

1. 1\. List everyone who is in your *Middle*  
2\. For each one, write a sentence on what success looks like in their role right now.  
3\. Share what you've written with those individuals, adjust as necessary, and then:  
4\. Put a recurring 20 minutes on the calendar, monthly at a minimum to tell them how they're doing against it.

Step two is hard for some, but remember you can't hold someone to a standard you haven't stated and you won't keep someone who doesn't know where they stand.

The promises you make in the interview are your retention strategy. Management is how you keep them.