How to Identify High, Mid and Low Performers

Do you know who your top performers are? And if so, do you work every day to help them succeed at their job, ensuring they stay part of your team?

 

Most organizations and senior executive leaders cannot answer these questions with a solid yes. In fact, they probably know who is not performing well and spend more time addressing these employees vs. recognizing and rewarding their top performers. Subsequently, it also takes precious time away from retaining or even recruiting new top performers for continued success.

 

Having a clear understanding of who your top performers are will help you create a culture of high performers who actually enjoy coming into work every day. Studies have shown that when people are happy working in a group situation - they are more likely to want to repeat it (Haidt, 2006). We are actually programed to want to work together and succeed with a common goal. Maximizing your employee’s personal strengths, skills, and talents is the best way to ensure you are getting the most out of your workforce and optimizing productivity. But, it starts with senior leaders knowing who is a High, Mid, and Low performer.

 
Who are your High, Mid and Low Performers?

Your High, Mid and Low performers can be determined by assessing various beliefs, attitudes, and values towards the work environment. Through behavior assessment we can see who is truly committed to excellence and shares the same mission and values of the organization. Just like we assess top performing athletes – who is mentally tough enough to compete at the Olympics? – we can assess who is mentally tough enough to consistently showcase the such attributes to lead one to successful outcomes: creativity, focus, perspective, determination and more. You can define your employees’ behaviors that are high from those that are low.

Now, this doesn’t mean you should go out and immediately start firing people left and right, just because you don’t like them. Sadly, there could actually be some Mid to Low performers who could learn how to improve, but due to lack of support from management are not able to showcase their potential and more towards a high level of performance. All to often in business we find diamonds in the rough – but that is just it – we find them. How many diamonds have you probably gotten rid of because you did not work to keep them, polish them, or even discover them in the first place?

Knowing who the top performers are is essential so they know they are a vital part of the overall operation or your organization. Typically coaches are called in when there is an issue – executive coaches spend a lot of time counseling low performers vs. encouraging high performers. Employees who feel that they are appreciated, who feel happy and satisfied with their work – will perform at a high level on the job.

 
What do I do with my performers once I’ve figured out their level?

 Low performers – low performers should be worried about losing their jobs if their behaviors do not improve with the needs of the organization. Some low performers have gotten used to showcasing low expectations and results. This is an issue with management and the executive team – allowing such behavior to go on. But, given a chance, some low performers can step-up.  However, if they cannot adapt or just refuse to change, they are hindering the welfare of the organization.

Mid performers – should be working towards high level achievement. Nobody likes to be in the middle, they are solid employees, solid performers, but can we get more out of them? Even small improvements at the mid performer level can me significant progress. Give them a chance to prove their worth. We do need solid and loyal performers for any organization to be successful.

High performers – should be rewarded for their part in helping your organization to thrive. You need to recognize who they are and work to retain or even recruit the high performers. You want them to be happy and stay with your organization – they carry the lion’s share of the workload and they are the reason why your organization is prosperous – let them know it!

 

References:

Haidt, Johnathan. (2006). The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding modern truth in ancient wisdom.
For more information see www.JonathanHaidt.com

 

The Job Market

Check out this great article by CAPP - the Center for Applied Positive Psychology. Maybe there are a few tips here that can help  you find a successful career in our growing job market.

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Employability (Part 1): Have You Got What Employers are Looking For?

Published August 9, 2012 | By Sue Harrington

 

Employability has become a familiar and commonplace term, used by employers and the media in the post economic-crisis job market. But what does “employability” actually mean and what is its relevance for school leavers?

Employability refers to a person’s ability to secure a job, to remain employed, and to progress and perform well in their job. Developing employability skills is important for anyone wanting employment, even those who already have jobs, but it is particularly important for school leavers.

Nowadays, there is significant competition for fewer jobs and, unfortunately, unemployment amongst young people is on the increase. Employers often choose to recruit people who have already developed their employability skills through previous work experience in favour of inexperienced school leavers.

There are two main areas of employability. The ability aspect is about possessing a good standard of numerical, literacy and ICT (information and communication technology) skills. This includes proficiency with basic arithmetic, being able to write and speak clearly, a good vocabulary, and being able to listen well and ask appropriate questions of others.

The second aspect of employability is to do with your personal attributes, strengths and attitudes. Regardless of people’s previous experience or qualifications, employers are seeking people who have the right mindset to flourish at work.

Across a wide range of industries and businesses, employers describe a consistent pattern of personal employability skills:

1. A positive mental attitude: a willingness and readiness to take on tasks and contribute; an openness to change and new ideas; a proactive approach to identifying better ways of doing things; and a drive to get things done. It’s about being a “glass half full” person.
2. Team-working: being able to get on with others, communicate well and work in a team. This includes being able to deal with disagreements and conflict when necessary.
3. Self-direction: being able to work independently, keep yourself motivated, manage your own time and prioritise your tasks. This involves taking personal responsibility for your work and seeking and accepting feedback from colleagues.
4. Problem-solving: showing initiative and having a creative and flexible approach to solving problems, being able to think situations through logically and generate potential solutions. This involves being resilient and bouncing back when things don’t go right.
5. Business “savvy”: understanding what your organisation does, what “success” looks like for your employer and how your work contributes to this success.

Understanding what employability means is only part of the challenge – school leavers also need to develop their employability and demonstrate it to potential employers, if they are to be successful in today’s job market.

See Part 2 of this blog tomorrow, when I will explore how school leavers can assess and develop their core employability skills.

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Check out CAPP's blog at: http://blog.cappeu.com/
Or their website at: http://www.cappeu.com/

Sports Psychology at the Olympics

Once again – the Mind Body Connection is prevalent in sport as we look at this great article about USA Beach Volleyball London Gold Medal hopefuls talk about the mental challenges of the Olympic games.  Check it out the article by USA Today, Tuesday, August 7, 2012:

Kerri Walsh, Misty May-Treanor poised for third gold

By Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY

LONDON – There were extra hugs, especially loud cheers and essentially a victory lap around the court.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh definitely weren't acting as if they'd been there before, even though, of course, they've won their share of Olympic semifinal matches.

After they came back from deficits in both sets to beat China's Xi Zhang and Chen Xue 22-20, 22-20 Tuesday night, May-Treanor and Walsh couldn't contain themselves. This one meant more, and this gold would mean more than the two they already own.

"It's an emotional thing," Walsh said. "We have one more match together, and we're not thinking that it's about that yet, but it heightens everything."

            That means the 13-7 deficit in the first set felt even larger than it was. The six consecutive points May-Treanor and Walsh reeled off at that point? Even more game-changing. When the match see-sawed back and forth in the second set, it felt even more dramatic.

So the victory tasted sweeter, especially because of how difficult it has been for the world's most famous beach volleyball players to get here — back in the gold medal match.

There was a baby, an Achilles injury and, most recently, some mental issues for the pair to overcome.

About two months ago, May-Treanor and Walsh were training for their unprecedented third goal medal, but something was wrong. They couldn't figure it out.

            "We were trying to find this easy answer - if we jump higher or move faster - and it was never physical," Walsh said. "It was only mental and emotional."

            So they went to see a sports psychologist Walsh had been seeing since 2009.

"What it came down to was we were afraid of disappointing each other," Walsh said. "That's not possible for Misty for ever to disappoint me, and vice versa. Once we realized that, it was like, 'We've been so silly.' But I think we had to go through that."

Walsh has worked on her own anxiety issues. For example, she said she'll spell the word "pass" many times a day to control her mind and psyche. Right before opponents serve, she's thinking P-A-S-S.

The sports psychologist is here in London, too, and he's working with the pair to make sure they remain focused throughout these Games.

"We had two goals since we reconnected and talked to our sports psychologist," Walsh said. "One was to cherish every moment together, cherish the journey because the journey allows you to learn and grow. The other was to win a gold medal.

"We've absolutely been learning and cherishing every moment. Now, we have one more goal to accomplish, and we are going to do it."

Tuesday night's semifinal may have been the perfect preparation for Wednesday's gold medal match though it seemed a bit nerve-wracking. May-Treanor and Walsh were down 13-7 at one point in the first set and faced a set point in the second. Still, they managed to come up with a big block or a key defensive play when it mattered most.

Instead of coasting into the final - like they did in Athens and Beijing without losing a set in either Olympics - they're coming into this one having faced some obstacles. And, more importantly, they've overcome them.

"You've got to learn something from each match you play in," May-Treanor said. "When we played the Schwaiger sisters (in group play), we lost the first set. We were able to come back and win. Against China, we were down in the first set.

"Our coach always tells us there isn't a situation we haven't been in that we feel we can't get out of. That's what you have to take from that. Obviously, you don't want to be down in the first set …but we've done it before. We can do this. It's just us sticking together."