Some years back, the Gallup Organization developed a set of 12 questions to assess the professional health of an employee. In my opinion, five of these questions relate specifically to real estate managers who have a desire to retain their most productive agents. 1. Do you have the materials, equipment, and support to do your work right? 2. In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work? 3. Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person? 4. Is there someone at work who encourages your development? 5. At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? If an agent enthusiastically answers Yes! to these questions and can cite examples, your chances of retaining them is much higher. Anything less than an enthusiastic yes is a red flag. These questions can also give you some insight into what other offices/organizations are vulnerable from a recruiting perspective. First, do the hard work of being a great manager for the benefit of your existing agents. Then, keep your ear to the ground to learn which of your competitors is struggling the most on this front. The best hires are those agents who are getting a manager upgrade when they come to work for you.