Brent Frei, executive chairman and co-founder of Smartsheet, emphasizes the importance of identifying "A" players, who are top performers that can drive a company's success. He believes that these individuals have insatiable interest in learning, are trustworthy and reliable, possess great communication skills, are willing to take calculated risks, and show well-rounded effort. To retain A-players, Frei suggests giving them control, presenting challenges, making sure they trust leadership, offering regular feedback, and rewarding their work. He also notes that smaller companies have an advantage in retaining high-performers due to less bureaucracy.