One of the things that impresses me most about Bill Gates (my former employer) is his commitment to taking “thinking weeks.” Every year he takes a few of his trusted advisers, and a few fresh faces, and they head off on a retreat, where they focus on two fundamental questions: “What has changed” and “What might change.” They explore how change has impacted the customer, their own business and the world. After a spirited debate, they then look at how they can leverage their newfound knowledge better than any competitor.

You may remember in 1995/96 the story of the “Internet Tidal Wave,” a point in time where Microsoft nearly missed the Internet phenomenon. It was at one of these retreats where Microsoft, more specifically Bill Gates, really started to understand the tremendous role the Internet would play in the “new” world. Microsoft changed that day; Microsoft retooled everything and became an Internet player overnight.

I share this with you because I believe as an HR Professional you need to be asking “What has changed?” and “What might change?” in your world. I think you owe it to yourself and to your employees to take your own thinking breaks (even if it is just in your office) to step back and reflect on all that you inherently know.

Whenever I have the opportunity to meet with HR Professionals — especially those in turmoil — I always ask the following questions: What has changed with your employees? What has changed with your business? What has changed in your world? How do these changes impact you? How can you leverage this knowledge to better the employment experience?

The results are always interesting. Just by taking the time to consider these things you can learn so much about your environment, your culture and where potential pitfalls may lie. You can plan ahead instead of reacting. The problem I see in most businesses today is that because of the pace of the world, most of us get so immersed and we fail to step back and take a look at what has changed and how we have evolved.

Let me share with you some of the changes that I think you may want to pay attention to:

These are all stresses that drive employees to leave. Let me ask you, are these some of the issues that your business faces? And if they are, what are you doing about them? What can you do about them? What about in your own business? Has your company grown significantly? Are there new skills to be learned? Has the industry changed the way you do business? How have your employees changed?

Our role in retaining great employees must always be a proactive one. We need to anticipate the problems, validate their existence and act on them long before our employees make the decision to leave. Humans are perpetually wanting. By our very nature, we look for change. When it’s hot, we want cold. In youth we want age. It is our ability to adapt to change that allows us to survive. It is your ability to adapt to change that will allow your employees to survive.

I am sure life would be easier for Microsoft if they didn’t have to keep changing. And I am sure Bill Gates could find other ways to spend his time other than thinking about change, but as he often reminded us, the bend in the road is not the end of the road unless we fail to make the change. Think about it. Bi-way is gone. The Bay is gone. Polaroid is gone. These were all industry leaders that failed to change.

Today’s stellar workers, much like any successful company, do much more than adapt to change — they embrace it. This month, why not take the time to ask yourself what has changed and what might change, and how you can leverage this information for the bettering employee retention.

Curt Skene is a professional business speaker and creative thinking consultant who specializes in helping companies look at their business, their relationship with their customers and their future opportunities and challenges in a powerful and positive light. Curt offers a unique message based on over 20 years of award-winning business experience (Microsoft, ExecuTrain and BrainBuzz) and combines his experience with the many insights he has gained as a certified hypnosis/NLP practitioner.