The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and for this reason high achievers are often overlooked. Here’s how you can empower the superstars on your team.
The first thing I saw when logging into work today was a motivational speech that our Director of Sales had dropped into our community Slack channel.
The clip showed Alabama’s head football coach, Nick Saban, discussing what makes a good team. Whatever your thoughts on the Crimson Tide (even if you have none), it’s undeniable that the man will forget more about leadership than many of us will ever know.
The gist of this particular speech: high achievers and low achievers cannot coexist. Rather, they can coexist, but your team will suffer. As one side fails to pull its weight, the other side starts to look over its shoulder and grumble about having to do more work just to keep things going at a normal pace.
The most successful teams, Saban relayed, are the ones where every single person buys into excellence and holds each other accountable.
This got me thinking about my gig (we’re filled with high achievers — which can bring its own unique challenges), as well as the audience here at GovLoop. Odds are, if you’re reading this you care about personal/professional development.
So with that in mind, here are a few successful tactics I have seen/employed over the years to empower high achievers.
Empowering High Achievers
Praise Publicly and to Leadership
Many high achievers don’t puff out their chest. They don’t boast about their good work. They don’t peacock around the office.
In my experience, the best people I’ve worked with come in, put their heads down, knock everything off their list, pack up, and go home.
They are too focused on their job to even consider advocating for themselves. Not that they don’t appreciate praise; rather their satisfaction comes in a job well-done (which is why they’re the best in the biz).
Shine a light on these team members. Publicly acknowledge their good work to their peers.
This doesn’t mean you should prop them up like some beacon on a hill. But explain what they’re excelling at, have them discuss what’s working for them, and use their success to buoy the rest of your team. It will pull them up.
Above all, praise them to leadership.
When your boss’s boss compliments you, that means something. When people outside your direct/daily working environment acknowledge your effort, that means something.
This will also benefit you if/when you ever need to coach them up. Show that you notice their successes, so when it’s time for correction your management proves even-handed.
Help High Achievers Set Incremental Goals
Sometimes it’s difficult to see the forest through the trees. Your achievers will be laser-focused on perfecting their tasks, so it’s up to you to help them level up.
When you have a great employee, your job isn’t task management; it’s career management.
Help them further their skills. Set them up for long-term success.
Maybe it’s learning how to use new software. Maybe it’s learning how to lead meetings, or managing vendors. Or maybe it’s finding a work-life balance.
Learn where they want to be in the next 3, 5, 10, 20 years. Doing that may just keep them on your team. It will definitely prevent burnout. And it will give you, and your colleague, a great sense of personal fulfillment that will extend beyond your time working together.
Submit for Awards and/or Speaking Sessions
Is this person an expert? Would others in your professional sphere benefit from hearing from/about your colleague?
Submit them to speak at a conference. Obviously, ask your colleague first, but this is a wonderful gesture. It doesn’t have to be a keynote in front of 2,000 people. A roundtable or even an interdepartmental session also would work.
Anything that gets this high achiever talking about their craft and helps others learn from their knowledge bank.
The same goes for awards. This person is awesome. Submit them for awards that recognize their effort. Could be a 30 or 40 under 30/40. Could be something specific to your industry. Could be a departmental award.
Just showing this person that you recognize the effort. That you see the difference they make. That you understand they’re a cut above — it will go a long, long way.
High achievers don’t need to be coddled. And for this reason, they’re often overlooked. Using these simple acknowledgements will go a long way in not only making them feel valued, but also showing your team the level of commitment you expect.
Jonathan Bass is a jack-of-all-trades and master of some. His passions include building workplace culture, connecting teams through effective (and interpersonal) operations, and finding the most efficient paths to success. When he’s off the clock, you can find him introducing his children to the natural world, plowing through a Larry McMurtry novel, or practicing bluegrass standards on the banjo. Jonathan is currently the Director of Marketing at Urban SDK, a cloud based traffic management software based in Jacksonville, Florida.
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