by A high performing employee is every manager’s dream… right?
Well yes, everyone wants to work with talented people doing great things.
But these employees are not necessarily easier to manage. It still takes a great manager to bring out the best in themselves and make them feel appreciated, inspired and engaged.
The key to working with high performers and avoiding burnout is strong relationships, open communication, and a growth-focused mindset. To put that into practice, you’ll need a well-thought-out, considered performance management strategy.
Here are ten high performance management best practices to keep in mind as you get to know that superstar employee.
Independence and flexibility above all
The worst thing you can do to a high performer is micromanage them. Instead, trust them to decide where, when and how the work is done.
These employees know how to maximize their own productivity and deliver the best work possible. Give them space to innovate and experiment; they might even surprise you with some creative new ways to do things.
Clarity in objectives and expectations.
Clarity always matters, but it’s crucial for helping these people to work as well as possible. They find the satisfaction of a job well done rewarding and motivating, so it is essential that they know when they have met expectations.
You should also make it very clear which objectives are ‘broad goals’ and what are the baseline performance expectations. Overemphasizing stretch goals can cause people to try to achieve them ‘at any cost’, leading to poor quality results or even unethical behaviour. The Objectives and Key Results (OKR) framework is a good method for achieving goal clarity.
Build trust and psychological safety
Make sure top performers feel safe sharing how they’re doing In fact doing, the good and the bad. Because they are so competent, it’s easy for these workers to move on, say yes to things, and add even more work to their plate.
You may not even notice when a top performer is burned out or offline. They are unlikely to provide that information and they know how to keep doing things even when they are not happy. Instead, you need to actively ask, stay in communication, and show them that sharing doesn’t have negative repercussions.
Use regular check-ins for feedback and listening
Regular check-ins between employees and managers are the mechanism through which you will build these strong relationships.
Offer feedback at each of these sessions. These workers want to grow, evolve and do better. Feedback is the information they need to inform that process and keep it aligned with their personal and company goals.
On the records, listen his ideas and comments, too. These employees are likely to have ideas for new, and possibly better, ways of doing things. Be open to those ideas, even when they are not related to your role.
Give them the right job, not the biggest job
Have you heard the saying “the reward for a good job is more work”? Don’t let your top performers feel this way.
Resist the urge to leave all the important tasks to them because you know they can handle them. They might say yes, but they’ll end up feeling exploited, exhausted, and drained if the expectation is continued performance. Instead, give them projects that are a good fit for their strengths, interests, and career goals.
Surround them with people they will learn from
Do not use a strong worker to carry the weight of others. It’s not fair to place a high performer in a medium or low performer environment in the hope that it will elevate them. They may even feel pushed into unpaid leadership work as others turn to them for help.
Instead, make sure they’re building relationships with people who can inspire them and support their career goals. If you can’t provide that within your team, brainstorm how you can offer it elsewhere within your company.
Make sure others don’t feel left out
If other employees feel like they are watching from the outside as a top performer gets all the glory, a toxic environment can quickly develop.
Instead, build strong relationships with each member of your team. Make it obvious to each of them that you see and appreciate their unique strengths, and that everyone has access to feedback, opportunities, and praise.
Recognize their hard work and results.
High achievers thrive on praise. Never let them feel that their hard work goes unnoticed or underappreciated.
Get to know your top performer, so you can understand what type of employee recognition will feel most meaningful to them. We’ve shared lots of great employee recognition ideas elsewhere on our blog.
Visualize paths for professional growth
These employees are future-focused and career-oriented. You will lose them if they don’t feel like they are developing, facing challenges, and seeing real opportunities to advance.
In your regular check-ins, know where your top performers want to go in the long term. Then, work on giving them a job that aligns with those goals. That includes looking for suitable projects, learning and development opportunities, and internal opportunities in other parts of your organization.
Recognize when they are ready to move on
Don’t rack up a high return because it depends on your production. No employee stays with the same manager, team, or company forever; also keep in mind what is best for your career.
There may be other areas within your organization where a top performer could learn, grow, and help elevate your business in whole new ways. And you also need to be prepared to recognize when it’s best for them to leave your organization for new ventures altogether.
High-performance, data-driven management
Managing high-performing employees is all about strong relationships, open communication, and ongoing feedback.
Providing that level of performance management used to be a huge administrative burden. With 15Five’s employee engagement and performance management system, that has changed.
Set up recurring checks and regular review cycles in our holistic system designed for fairness. By storing, tracking, and analyzing your findings, we help you understand where your employees are, so you can make equitable workforce decisions that improve your entire business.
Get a demo and make flexible, insight-based performance management a reality in your organization today.
