Chapter 15 PPORTUNITIES Mine Them I left for a better opportunity. --A.J. A.J.'s statement summarizes countless exit interview responses. Some- times it's just the politically savvy thing to say (rather than saying, "My boss was a jerk"), and sometimes it's the truth. Talented people have many choices about where they work. To keep them, learn how to "opportunity mine" with them. Opportunity mining means looking for, finding, and then retrieving opportunities with your people. This does not mean that you are in charge of their career paths. But if you really want to retain them, you must help them find opportunities on your own turf to compete with the ones they'll find elsewhere. las Lynne was a rising star, destined to do great things for the team--and her excellent work always made her supervisor look terrific. When she (continued) 140