Paul Glover‘s weekly newsletter presents lessons for ‘No B.S.’ Leadership. Subscribe Now, so you don’t miss an issue.
Creating a high-performing work team, with increased employee engagement, productivity, profitability, and retention should be the primary goal of every Team Leaders.
Yet, many Team Leaders make a critical mistake: they focus most of their time, energy and resources on underperformers and neglect their High Performers.
According to Gallup’s 2024 Employee Engagement Survey, only 32% of the workforce qualifies as “high performers,” but these individuals drive an outsized share of productivity—often contributing 400% more than the average employee. Beyond their individual output, High Performers inspire and motivate those around them, creating a positive work environment that ripples effect across an organization.
However, the very qualities that make High Performers so effective—self-sufficiency, commitment, independence, and motivation—leads Team Leaders to assume they need little attention.
As a result, Team Leaders focus most of their efforts on the 67% of unengaged employees doing just productive enough to avoid termination and the 16% who are actively disengaged, creating toxic work environments and who should have been terminated yesterday.
While autonomy is essential for High Performers, a hands-off approach will backfire. Feeling unsupported and unappreciated, these valuable Team Members become frustrated and disengaged—and then quit and go to an organization that will show them they are appreciated.
To retain their High Performers, and keep them engaged, Team Leaders need to adopt a strategy for each High Performer on their Team that provides recognition, growth opportunities, a clear career path, and an alignment with company values.
Here is the outline for a strategic plan that will keep High Performers engaged, productive and satisfied:
1. Give Them Specific Recognition and Appreciation: High Performers want their contributions recognized, but vague praise like “great job” doesn’t cut it. Specific and meaningful recognition, acknowledging how they have gone above and beyond is more impactful. Tailoring the approach— either through public praise, personal notes, or quiet conversations—ensures each High Performer feels genuinely seen and valued. This style of recognition will also inspire the rest of the Team to excel.
2. Challenge Them: High Performers thrive when challenged and when they are required to leave their comfort zones to exceed expectations.
To keep them engaged and motivated to succeed, provide them with the opportunities, resources, and autonomy they need so they can step out of their comfort zone and succeed, especially when it is something they are passionate about.
But don’t just hand them a tough project and walk away – engage in follow up conversations about how they are progressing, what they are learning and offer the assistance they need to succeed. But don’t give them a tough assignment and then walk away. Team Leaders need to follow up with regular conversations, asking: “How’s the project coming along? What are you learning? Do you need any support?” These touchpoints demonstrate the Team Leader cares about their progress and is invested in their success.
The quickest way to disengage a High Performer is micromanagement. High Performers thrive when trusted to make decisions, solve problems, and execute tasks independently. Team Leaders must provide clear expectations upfront while giving them the freedom to determine how to achieve desired outcomes. Then provide regular check-ins (not check ons!), focused on offering guidance and support so they can succeed, rather than controlling the process.
3. Connect Their Work to a Greater Purpose: High Performers are looking for purpose and want meaning and alignment with organizational values. They want to feel their work is meaningful, is making a difference and is connected to something larger than themselves. Team Leaders can deepen this connection by asking these questions:
- “What part of your work energizes you the most?”
- “Which aspects of our mission resonate with you?”
- “What kind of impact do you want your work to have on the company?”
These discussions tie the High Performers daily tasks to the broader organizational vision, reinforcing their sense of belonging and purpose. High Performers are loyal to Team Leaders and organizations when they feel their efforts matter and contribute to long-term goals.
4. Create a Career Plan: Ambition fuels High Performers—they want to know their hard work is leading to meaningful career growth. They need a clear, actionable pathway for advancement. They like goals and targets to aspire to. Regular career conversations are essential.
These conversations should establish concrete steps for their development and the skills they need to develop for advancement.
Don’t wait for them to ask about advancement opportunities —proactively initiating these conversations sends a powerful message that the Team Leader values and supports their future with the organization.
The Pay Off
In today’s competitive talent market, neglecting High Performers is a costly mistake that alienates them, leading to disengagement, burnout and turnover.
When High Performers feel valued and supported, they not only exceed expectations—they elevate the entire team. Building an environment where these indispensable employees thrive is not just good leadership—it’s the key to sustaining long-term success in the post-pandemic workplace.
I could be wrong, …but I’m not.
#Icould be wrong…; #postpandemicleadershipSME; #LeadershipDevelopmentSME; #leadershipSME
