This fact sheet reports findings of an investigation of the reported difficulties experienced by federal agencies in retaining career members of the Senior Executive Service (SES). These responses to a mailed questionnaire are highlighted: (1) the most important reasons for leaving are agency-specific (dissatisfaction with top management, dissatisfaction with political appointees) and government-wide (frustration with proposed and actual changes to compensation, too few bonuses); (2) the least important reasons fall into the same categories as well as a third--job-specific; (3) important reasons for leaving tended to be agency-specific; (4) patterns emerged in the reasons given for leaving when they were grouped according to how SES members left; (5) a majority of SES members said they took another paid position; and (6) although a majority said they would not advise a person to enter public service, SES members frequently said they enjoyed their careers overall. These appendixes follow the two-page report: questionnaire objectives, scope, and methodology; narrative material and data in table form summarizing questionnaire results regarding reasons why senior executives left; and the annotated questionnaire. (YLB)