Retaining critical people is a top priority in personnel management. And if keeping them is critical, the effort to secure them should be personal.

According to Diane Morello, an analyst at Gartner Inc. , every company needs to create a retention, recruitment and satisfaction toolbox tailored to satisfying the multiple needs of everyone in the organization. "You have to make contact and have a connection -- the CIO with his or her direct reports," says Morello.

That connection must be personal, Morello emphasizes. "We've seen that borne out repeatedly. A generic approach to satisfying or taking care of people only goes so far. It satisfies a checklist but doesn't quite satisfy the people," she says.

-- Geer is a freelance writer in Ashtabula, Ohio.