Next to recruiting, the retention of profitable agents is something that exasperates every real estate leader. It’s difficult and expensive to recruit, train, mentor, and coach an agent. Seeing your investment walk out the door is heartbreaking—and bottom-line-breaking. So, what causes your agents to leave? According to Gartner, a global consulting firm, the most common reasons people leave their jobs has remained surprisingly consistent over many years. It’s so consistent, the reasons are often called the Attrition Constants. Here’s a prioritized list on why workers defect to their competitors: They don’t like their bosses (especially their first-level managers).They don’t see opportunities for promotion and growth.They are proactively offered a better gig (usually involving higher pay/better split). If you’re not focusing most of your retention effort on these issues, you’ll miss the mark. If you’re not focusing most of your recruiting effort on exploiting these weaknesses among your competitors, you’re missing the best opportunities.