As Global Head of Research & Leadership Advisory at JRG Partners, I give clients this template constantly, so here is the practitioner’s version, ready to adapt. Companies usually discover a retention risk when a valued executive resigns, which is too late to do anything about it. This template helps you assess retention risk across your leadership team proactively, so you can act before the resignation, not after.
This is the practitioner’s version: the actual tool, structured for real use, with notes on why each element matters and how to apply it. It is written to be adapted and used, not merely read.
What This Tool Is For
This template structures a proactive assessment of retention risk across your leadership team, identifying which executives are flight risks and why, so the company can act before a valued leader resigns rather than after. Retention is usually treated reactively; this assessment makes it proactive, surfacing the risks and their drivers while there is still time to address them.
Key Takeaways
- Companies usually discover retention risk only when an executive resigns.
- This assessment identifies flight risks proactively, before the resignation.
- Assess each key executive’s risk level and the drivers behind it.
- Act on the risks, addressing the drivers before the leader leaves.
- Proactive retention holds leaders that reactive retention loses.
Why Assess Retention Risk Proactively
Most companies treat retention reactively, discovering a risk only when a valued executive resigns, by which point it is usually too late to do anything. A proactive retention risk assessment identifies which leaders are flight risks, and why, while there is still time to act. It surfaces the drivers, disengagement, a completed mandate, stalled growth, market pull, that precede a departure, so the company can address them before the resignation. Assessing retention risk deliberately turns retention from a reactive scramble into a proactive practice that holds valued leaders.
Retention Risk Assessment
| Executive | Risk Level | Key Drivers | Impact if Lost | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Name / role] | [Low / Med / High] | [Disengagement, stalled growth, market pull, etc.] | [Critical / High / Moderate] | [What to do] |
| [Name / role] | [Rating] | [Drivers] | [Impact] | [Action] |
| [Name / role] | [Rating] | [Drivers] | [Impact] | [Action] |
Conducting the Assessment
- Assess each key executive’s retention risk level, honestly, based on real signals.
- Identify the drivers behind each risk, disengagement, completed mandate, stalled growth, market pull, dissatisfaction.
- Assess the impact if each executive were lost, to prioritize the risks.
- Prioritize by combining risk level and impact, high-risk, high-impact executives first.
- Define actions to address the drivers, re-recruitment, new challenges, growth, addressing dissatisfaction, before the leader leaves.
Assessment Principles
- Assess honestly on real signals. Wishful thinking hides risk; base the assessment on genuine signals of disengagement or flight risk.
- Identify the drivers. The risk level matters less than why; the drivers are what you can actually address.
- Prioritize by risk and impact. A high-risk, high-impact executive is the priority; a low-impact one, less so.
- Act before the resignation. The whole point is to address the drivers while there is still time, not after the leader has decided to leave.
How to Use This Template Well
Assess each key executive’s retention risk honestly, based on real signals rather than wishful thinking, and identify the drivers behind each risk, since the drivers are what you can actually address. Assess the impact if each were lost, and prioritize by combining risk and impact. Then define and take actions to address the drivers, re-recruitment conversations, new challenges, growth, or addressing dissatisfaction, before the executive resigns. Revisit the assessment regularly, since risk changes over time, and pair it with proactive re-recruitment of your strongest leaders.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The common mistakes are treating retention reactively and assessing risk only after a resignation, being wishfully optimistic rather than honest about flight risk, identifying risk levels without the drivers behind them (which cannot then be addressed), and failing to act on the assessment before the leader leaves. Avoid these by assessing proactively on real signals, identifying the drivers, prioritizing by risk and impact, and acting to address the drivers before the resignation.
The Bottom Line
A leadership retention risk assessment that identifies each key executive’s flight risk and the drivers behind it, prioritized by impact, lets a company act before a valued leader resigns rather than after, turning retention from a reactive scramble into a proactive practice. Used consistently, this tool brings structure and rigor to a process that too often runs on instinct, and structure is exactly what protects the quality of high-stakes leadership decisions.
Related Resources
For employers going deeper, see How to Extend an Executive’s Tenure, What Is a Stay Interview, Executive Exit Interview Template.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What is a retention risk assessment?
- A: A proactive assessment of which leaders are flight risks and why, so the company can act before a valued executive resigns rather than after.
- Q: Why assess retention risk proactively?
- A: Because companies usually discover retention risk only when an executive resigns, which is too late; proactive assessment surfaces risks while there is time to act.
- Q: What should the assessment identify?
- A: Each key executive’s risk level, the drivers behind it, the impact if lost, and the actions to address the drivers before the leader leaves.
- Q: Why focus on the drivers?
- A: Because the drivers, disengagement, stalled growth, market pull, dissatisfaction, are what the company can actually address, not the risk level itself.
- Q: How do you act on retention risk?
- A: By addressing the drivers before the resignation, through re-recruitment, new challenges, growth, or resolving dissatisfaction, prioritized by risk and impact.
![](https://www.jrgpartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/tanya-gallardo.jpeg")
Tanya Gallardo
Managing Director, Executive Search & AI Talent Strategy
Tanya Gallardo is the Managing Director of Executive Search & AI Talent Strategy at JRG Partners, leading C-suite and Board engagements across key growth sectors including Technology, Financial Services, and Manufacturing.
With over 18 years of experience specializing in disruptive technology leadership, Tanya is recognized as a leading authority on talent architecture for future-focused executive roles, such as the Chief AI Officer (CAIO) and Chief Digital Officer (CDO). Her expertise lies in accurately assessing the cultural fit and technical depth required to ensure a high return on investment (ROI) for critical leadership appointments.
Prior to her role at JRG Partners, Tanya held senior roles directing global talent acquisition strategies at a major publicly-traded technology firm, advising on organizational design and succession planning for emerging executive functions. She is a recognized speaker and contributor to industry events, sharing data-driven insights on executive compensation, leadership development, and the measurable business impact of C-suite talent.
