Catch Me If You Can: How Self-Perception and Competencies Help Retain Talent in the Workplace

Retaining high-performing employees has become a critical organizational priority due to the increasing difficulty and cost of replacing experienced talent. Organizations invest heavily in talent identification practices to develop future leaders and gain a competitive advantage. These practices often involve selecting high-potential individuals for exclusive "talent pools," but challenges arise in determining the criteria for inclusion. Competency-based HR management is instrumental in identifying and fostering the competencies that drive exceptional performance. However, this approach often falls short in addressing strategic talent retention, as turnover intentions (TOI) represent a significant cost to organizations, reducing productivity, innovation, and profitability. This study explores the dynamics of talent retention through a unified model that simultaneously examines Talent Mindset Competencies (TMC), Self-Perceived Talent Status (SPTS), Turnover Intentions (TOI), and Career Satisfaction (CS). The findings provide valuable theoretical and practical implications. For practitioners, they highlight strategies to retain top talent by addressing key job attitudes and enhancing HR policies. For scholars, the study enriches the discourse on protean career orientation and talent management. By integrating theoretical frameworks and empirical analysis, this research advances understanding of the factors influencing TOI and offers actionable insights for both academics and organizational leaders. Directions for future research are also proposed.