Developing High Performers
Posted by
The most overlooked group in your team are likely to be the people who perform incredibly well but don’t particularly want to advance their careers. And this is for a number of reasons. Firstly, as a manager you may wonder what you are going to teach them – they’re already great, what can you add? Secondly, they’re quite happy to get on with things, so if they’re not having a problem why would you help them (and what with)?
On the face of it they seem to not want to be managed. But the truth is this is a mistake that could lead to a drop in their performance. Here are five ways of actively managing your ‘champions’:
- Understand their thinking. They are delivering great performance and they don’t want to advance their career, but why not? There is often a range of reasons (typically personal) such as the stress of looking after an elderly relative or young children, or competing interests outside of work. They already give 120% to the organisation but they don’t want to feel obliged to give more by moving up the ladder. It may not seem like traditional development, but often having that choice acknowledged by a manager is greatly valued. They may want to flag up that they like where they are, and can’t see themselves moving higher – or that this is a temporary resting place, and in 5 years it will be different. Knowing their thinking gives them the freedom to look at the ways they’d like to contribute more, without creating an expectation of progression or more pressure than they feel they can handle right now.
- Recognise them. The critical thing that you can do for this group of people that motivates them the most is to just acknowledge that they are fantastic at what they do. Even if they don’t seem to like it or they give you a very gruff response, they will appreciate it. You can also think of practical ways to show your trust in them – or allow them flex hours, occasional home working or time off for a child’s sports day.
- Champion them. Find ways for them to be seen as being the leading performer or the expert in your organisation. For example you could position them as a centre of excellence around a topic that they enjoy or, if there are meetings that you would attend that they may add value to, you could send them in your place. Could you create a new title (formal or informal, e.g. ‘Lead for [aspect of team’s work]’?
- Let them drive their development. Make sure that you have a discussion with them about their development, but let them drive the priorities about what they’re willing to do. Some people we work with have even gone as far as to give people in this situation a small part of the budget with the autonomy to spend it in the way they feel will best advance their performance.
- Create a legacy. Not everyone in the group will want this, but many people who are high performing know that they will move on at some stage either to another role or outside of the organisation. Those who’ve established an “expert status” often enjoy the opportunity to pass on their knowledge to the next generation in some way. Giving them people to mentor and support can significantly increase their level of engagement with their role and the rest of the team.
Take time to consider your best, solid performers who are no trouble. Do they deserve to have a bigger share of your time and attention? How could you use 15 minutes a week to keep their morale high, and ensure they know that their contribution is valued?