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F YOU'RE starting to feel the pinch of the so-called "talent shortase." you're not alone. Consider these facts:

. 407o of employers worldwide are having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of suitable talent available in their markets

. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the shortage of skilled workers will exceed 10 million by 2010.

. At any given time, l5%o of American employees are looking for a new job, says the Society of Human Resource Management

. 457o of workers say they want to change jobs every three to five years

In light of these facts, smart managers realize they need to retain people on staff in order to keep the company running. So while under better circumstances they might move along those "less spectacular" performers, they know that in a tight talent market, the key is to effectively work with what you have.

Fortunately, you can take steps to help the people on your team do better and perform to expectations. After all, hiring someone is costly (both in time and money), and any turnover has a potentially negative impact on the company. Following is a process that will help you work with your current staff and gain the competitive advantage in doing so.

Step 1: Take a look at yourself

Look at how you're evaluating your team. Many managers who work under, or who have been influenced by, command and control hierarchies live with the belief that you should rank your employees and cut those at the bottom. Ranking may be valuable when people do identical jobs in an identical environment, such as in call centers or sales orsanizations with ter-