Do you struggle to effectively manage your high-performing team?
It’s not uncommon for even experienced leaders to unknowingly make critical mistakes that hinder their team’s success. But once you know the common mistakes to watch for and how to avoid them, you can navigate the challenges of managing a high-performance team with confidence.
Mistake 1: Not recognizing the high performers in the room
Have you ever been in a meeting where a colleague’s innovative ideas were completely overlooked? It’s similar to Leonardo da Vinci’s genius being undervalued and unappreciated in his time.
By failing to acknowledge and celebrate exceptional performance, you risk demotivating top talent and missing out on valuable contributions.
In today’s competitive business landscape, organizations must create a culture that values and rewards excellence. Leaders need to actively seek out and spotlight high performers, fostering an environment where everyone feels seen and appreciated for their hard work and ingenuity.
When you fail to recognize high performers, they do exactly what you might imagine — they vote with their feet. They walk; and that can be a costly mistake.
Mistake 2: Putting high performers on autopilot and ignoring them
When you have top-tier employees who consistently deliver exceptional results, it’s easy to fall into the traps of assuming they don’t need as much attention or feedback. It’s even easier to put your high performers on autopilot and ignore them.
However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
High performers live on a diet of challenge and recognition. Ignoring their contributions and potential for growth hinders their professional development and risks disengagement and the possibility of losing them to competitors who do recognize their value.
To keep high performers committed to your organization’s success, provide them with opportunities for growth, regular feedback, and acknowledgment of their contributions.
Mistake 3: Micromanaging high performers and imposing unnecessary constraints
If you do realize you have been ignoring your high performers, resist the urge to over-correct. Yes, it’s critical to provide support, but micromanaging high performers will just create different problems.
High performers possess unique skills and experience and often enjoy environments where autonomy is valued. This means you can’t ignore them and you can’t micromanage them. It’s a fine line to walk, and it’s not easy. But it is important.
Mistake 4: Not providing growth opportunities to high performers in the making
In addition to identifying what you’re not doing but should be doing, smart leaders assess at what they are doing and look for improvements.
You can not afford to miss high potential employees — your high performers “in the making.”
While it’s easy to take note of high performers, it’s just as easy to overlook the hidden talent within your team. Look for people who spend extra energy and time developing themselves (with or without you). It’s a good sign that giving them new growth opportunities might turn them into a high performer.
Mistake 5: Overlooking the importance of recognizing and rewarding your high performers
Recognition and reward play a significant role in motivating high performers. They thrive on knowing their efforts contribute to the organization’s success and their work is valued.
To be clear, every single high performer doesn’t want or need the exact same version of recognition. Different kinds of people (as defined by our Dimensions of Motivation) may want different rewards. While some may love recognition, others may shy away from the spotlight. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want their “gold star.”
Either way, failure to recognize a high performer’s achievements or provide appropriate rewards is a mistake that can lead to a decline in their performance and/or morale.
Mistake 6: Putting high performers in a holding pattern (stop the busywork)
High performers need rest. But that doesn’t mean giving them “busy work” assignments. Learning how to create assignments that give high performers rest is a critical skill needed for any manager of high performers.
- Assignments that give them opportunities to learn something new, try something new, or to work in their sweet spot, provide high performers the ability to rest without friction.
- Assignments that create busy work (usually given when you haven’t spent enough time thinking about what’s next) is like putting small rocks in their shoes. You may get away with it for a bit, but eventually, they’ll get increasingly annoyed and move on.
Mistake 7: Protecting high performers from risk and failure
The most common mistake made when leading high performers is assuming you need to constantly keep them on winning projects and efforts. This dangerous assumption often results in putting them on the least risky projects, which negates their ability to knock it out of the park.
High performers don’t mind risk. They also don’t mind failure (though most hate it). But they aren’t so scared of failure that they want to be put on the simple and straightforward projects.
Risks give high performers a bigger stage where they can demonstrate their skills and expertise. So, instead of protecting them from failure, embrace the conversations with them as you discuss strategies for mitigating risk.
Bonus: High performers & MCode
The biggest mistake you can make when leading high performers is to treat them all the same. That’s why we created the MCode assessment — it helps leaders leverage Motivational Dimensions in their leadership approach and personalize how they lead individual high performers on their team.
Below you’ll find a quick cheat sheet for how to lead and shape assignments for each type of high performer.
- Achiever: Assign tasks that highlight individual excellence and offer opportunities for recognition.
- Driver: Focus on assignments with clear goals, challenging barriers to overcome, and measurable results.
- Influencer: Provide assignments that involve persuasion, leadership, and impact on others.
- Learner: Choose tasks that require research, exploration, and continual learning.
- Optimizer: Assign projects that involve streamlining processes, increasing efficiency, or improving systems.
- Orchestrator: Choose tasks that require strategic planning, project management, and coordination of team efforts.
- Relator: Emphasize teamwork, collaboration, and building strong interpersonal relationships in tasks.
- Visionary: Assign projects that require innovative thinking, big-picture planning, and future-oriented strategies.
Don’t know the Motivational Dimensions of each member of your team? Invite them to take the MCode assessment today. Or, reach out to talk to our team about our team assessment training options.
Managing high performers requires a unique set of considerations. By avoiding the most common mistakes outlined – failing to recognize, support, and advocate for our high performers – leaders can create an environment where these high-achieving, exceptional individuals can thrive and contribute to the organization’s continued success.
Remember, your high performers are your most valuable assets. Nurture and empower them, and you’ll see exponential growth within your team and your organization as a whole.
