Retention Guide 2026 Part 3: How To Put It Together
- Tara Forster Sowa
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
Welcome to the final installment in our series on retaining your best people in senior finance. If you missed part one, which explains why we're seeing high turnover, find it here, and if you want to review the questions you should be asking, find part 2 here.
Simply scheduling retention interviews and asking questions won't prevent people from leaving your organization. Today we'll look at how to structure the interviews for best results.
Timing and Frequency
Conduct stay interviews at least annually, and twice with newly hired senior leaders in their first year. Don't wait for the annual review; that's too late for someone who's already been reached by recruiters. Schedule the interview 2–3 weeks before potential departure windows (bonuses, key fiscal transitions).
Who Should Conduct the Interview
The direct manager should conduct the stay interview if possible. While HR can provide frameworks and training, trust and honest conversation require the manager who knows the person's work. However, on sensitive topics (board dynamics, CEO relationships), consider having an external HR advisor available as a resource, but keep the primary conversation between manager and direct report.
Make It Comfortable
Finance leaders will only be candid if they believe the conversation won't be held against them. Frame the interview explicitly as a listening conversation, not an evaluation. Communicate that the goal is to understand what they need to thrive and what the organization can do to support them, not to judge their commitment. For CFO-level conversations, the CEO should participate to demonstrate that senior leadership takes this seriously.
Documentation and Action
Document the key themes from each interview, identify patterns across the finance leadership team, and create an action plan that employees see being implemented. Nothing destroys trust faster than a retention interview with zero follow-up. If someone asks for AI training and hears nothing for six months, they've mentally started job hunting. If they ask for clarity on the CFO path and you deliver a succession roadmap, you've just reset their retention clock.
Retention as a Strategic Competency
The finance leaders you retain will determine whether your organization can navigate technological transformation, execute M&A, maintain investor confidence, and execute long-term strategy. The ones you lose will power your competitors.
Retention/stay interviews are your frontline defense. They show that you value these leaders' insights and input, and they create space for leaders to talk about burnout, ambition, and concerns. And they generate the knowledge you need to build an organization where talent chooses to grow, not a stepping stone to a better opportunity.
By asking the right questions, listening genuinely, and acting decisively on what you hear, you send a clear message: we see you, we value you, and we're committed to your future here. That message is what keeps senior talent from handing in their notice.
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