*Think about the high performers on your team often. Too often we spend “thinking time” on our problem performers, rather than focus our attention on how to nourish and support the parts of our team that are working.
*Encourage them to take breaks in order to re-charge. Not just breaks during the work day, encourage breaks when they turn everything off regarding work. High performers are particularly prone to burnout.
*Share high visibility projects with high performers. Give them the platform that allows them to shine. Seek ways to broaden the scope of their work, allowing them to see more of the company.
*Ask the high performer for his or her opinion. High performers want to be heard and they have a great deal to offer.
*Provide positive feedback, both privately and publicly.
*Encourage high performers to attend workshops, conferences and other networking opportunities.
*Acknowledge their contributions often. Don’t assume high performers know how you feel about their work.
*Respect their need for work-life balance and allow as much flexibility as possible.
*Create opportunities to meet face to face.
*Communicate often about new initiatives and trends. Never leave them out of the loop or wondering.
*Seek communication yourself. You cannot inform others if you are not informed.
*Remember that the organization’s commitment to them begets their commitment to the organization.
*Be a role model. High performers want to work with other high performers. They want to engage with people they respect and people they can learn from.
Hi Karen,
You give good and practical ideas in this post. Perhaps you could break this post up for a series of posts to give your readers a taste of each item on the list. Keep up the good work.
Mike Gouveia
Riverside, CA
Thanks so much for your encouragement Mike. I agree that breaking the list up is a good idea.
Karen
Great post. My all time favorite boss was one who recognized hard work with guilt free time off. It didn’t cost her much but gave gasoline to my desire to keep working for her. Thanks for posting your message.
Hi Laurie, There are so many ways that managers can reward hard work. All the manager has to do is have the desire to reward their employees. And it’s important to remember that what employees value as rewards change from employee to employee. Some value time off, others public recognition, some desire exposure to other parts of the company, and the list goes on. One thing you value is public recognition. What are some of the others?
Really good tips for how to support and grow your high performers. I would love to see a longer article expanding on each of these tips. 🙂
Rebecca Morgan
Thanks for reading and responding Rebecca. I plan to write more on this topic, however right now I have other topics swimming in my head, anxious to come alive here. Prepare for an blog on “Change without Injury”!
HI Karen, how about a post (or three) about how you fire low performers?
Hi Johanna:
Through the years I have had to be a part of the team that did in fact need to fire poor performers, but that is not the norm. Usually a poor performer is the sign of many other problems that the organization needs to address. It can be poor management, poor training, poor working conditions, poor morale…
Firing the poor performer often just makes room for another energetic and enthusiastic new hire to come to your organization and become disillusioned.
Remember that almost everyone starts a new job with the best of intentions.
Thanks for reading and adding your thoughts!
Karen
I love the last one. We’ve all heard of the Peter Principle. When my husband and I wanted to remodel our home, we didn’t select the cheapest contractor, but the one with the highest standards. He was great to work for because he attracted the best subs. People wanted to work with/for him who were the best. It’s usually worth the extra money to get the best.
Hi Cathy:
Thank you for your comment and applying these principles to your day to day life. It’s hard to remember that the cheapest isn’t the best when we are buying services, but often the cheapest is the most expensive in the long run. Checking for many satisfied customers is often the best way to hire a contractor and an HR consultant.
Hope you are enjoying your renovation!
Karen