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?
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
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