Managing high performers | Managers at Work

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 “I have a very high performer on my team who gets things done quickly and efficiently. But sometimes he doesn’t seem engaged with the work and I worry that he’s getting bored. Any advice?”

Managing high performers can be tricky. On one hand, you appreciate their ability to deliver results and get things done, but, on the other, you know they need to be challenged and engaged to do their best work. And if they don’t get opportunities to grow, they’re likely to leave.

And they present other challenges. Sometimes high performers raise difficult questions or issues, take on too many tasks without getting additional help or make others feel insecure, causing resentment on their teams.

“Too often, weak leaders mistake high performers for being ‘toxic’ wrote one manager on Reddit. “Why? Because high performers demand excellence, and in doing so, they inevitably shine a light on poor leadership, inefficiencies and complacency.”

While they might be ignored by some organizations, others recognize that high performers can make a significant difference to company success and productivity. Some studies say that high performers can be up to 400 percent more productive than average employees – a figure that rises to 800 percent in complex roles. A World Economic Forum report in 2023 noted that the top 1 percent of workers account for 10 percent of an organization’s output and the top 5 percent of workers account for 25 percent of total output. “We’re talking serious bang for buck,” researchers wrote.

So, given the opportunity and the challenges, what are the best ways to manage high performers?

The conventional view is to simply leave them alone to do their jobs. “Give them direction, then let them execute,” one manager said on Reddit. “Let them know the door is open for peer level conversations but just let them get on with it.”

But in a March LinkedIn piece, Charles Thompson, vice president of Human Resources at SimuTech Group in Rochester, took issue with that approach, saying that managers too often focus on the gaps and weaknesses on their teams, not the strengths.  When A and B players are performing well, management tends to leave them alone, he says. “We assume they don’t need our attention. Meanwhile, our C players are holding steady, so we let them be. Our focus? It’s fixated on the D players – those who are struggling, failing and demanding the most intervention.”

When managers’ energy goes toward the lowest performers, they “inevitably see more low performance,” he says. “We unconsciously build a culture where mediocrity – or even failure – becomes the center of gravity.”

But what happens when managers deliberately devote more time to the A and B players in the organization? “These are the individuals who drive results, set the standard and propel the organization forward,” Thompson says. “What if we invested in them with the same intensity that we dedicate to our struggling employees?”

What could that investment include? Maybe providing advanced coaching, possibly tailoring growth opportunities to stretch their skills and capabilities or finding more ways to ensure they are “deeply engaged and continually challenged,” he says. “We would cultivate more A and B players.”

That doesn’t mean abandoning struggling workers, but creating a “fundamentally different dynamic” that actively nurtures and promotes high performance. With that approach, high performance becomes contagious. “The A players elevate the entire culture,” Thompson says.

Companies that have done that have seen great success, Thompson says. Adobe, for example, launched a “Kickbox” innovation program, designed to empower their top talent with the resources and autonomy to create new initiatives rather than fixing existing product issues. This program led to the development of several new features and new product lines. Adobe later opened-sourced the program, and it has been adopted by other large companies, he says.

This approach has had tangible results. The Gallup organization, for example, found that companies focusing on development of top performers had an average of 10 to 19 percent increase in sales and 14 to 29 percent increased profit, compared with organizations that distributed their resources differently or focused on improving low performers, Thompson says.

Despite the gains, managing high performers remains a complex challenge for many companies.  Besides the desire to be recognized for their contributions, these employees “crave growth, purpose and a clear path forward,” says Briana Calabrese, market director for Robert Half in Rochester.

“Offering stretch assignments, access to resources, tuition reimbursement, or simply carving out time during the week for professional growth can go a long way toward supporting high performers,” she says. “When employees feel like their company is genuinely invested in their future, they’re more likely to stay and remain motivated to succeed. “

One of Robert Half’s most effective strategies has been the implementation of mentorship programs. “Beyond just onboarding, building strong mentorship relationships supports retention and interestingly, mentors often benefit just as much,” she says.

Indeed, offering high performers  the chance to become mentors themselves can be an effective strategy, too.

What high performers need are “stretch opportunities” that feel meaningful, not just more difficult, says David Rice, executive editor of the People Managing People publication owned by the digital media company, Black & White Zebra.  “That might mean involving them in mentoring others, leading a new initiative or exploring cross-functional projects that connect to their personal values.”

For some companies, the key to improving engagement has been to help high performers become “owners” of a particular initiative. “Someone getting bored with exceeding expectations is usually a sign they’ve outgrown their routine,” says Hans Scheffer, chief executive officer of Helloprint in Rotterdam. “One thing you can do is shift their focus from tasks to ownership. Give them a problem to solve to engage their brains and spark their creativity again.”

Scheffer said he once encouraged a high performer to lead a cross-department project instead of giving them more of the same work. “High performers thrive when you allow them to shape outcomes and grow into the role of leading others,” he says.

At another company, Metaintro, a generative AI-powered job platform, high performers get a chance to lead projects and take opportunities that have critical value to the business. “High performers leave their jobs because they feel underutilized. It’s important to give them ownership of problems that matter,” says Lacey Kaelani, founder and chief executive officer.

“At Metaintro, all of our employees are “CEOs” of their own department. Ownership is important to our culture and it results in all of our high performers’ abilities to continuously grow,” she says.

To address the engagement problem, many companies might think about giving more rewards to high performers. While it might be the easiest thing to do, experts say that strategy isn’t likely to work on a long-term basis.

When you see boredom in a high performer, it’s a signal about problems with leadership and job design, not motivation, Rice says. “When someone exceeds expectations but feels disengaged, it often means their growth curve has flattened. They have mastered the ‘how’ and are craving a new ‘why,’ a renewed sense of purpose in their work.”

So to learn more about that, work with your high performer on ‘open dialogue,’” Rice says. “Ask what energizes them, what drains them and what impact they want to make next.”

“When leaders frame boredom as a conversation about growth rather than performance, they turn a retention risk into a renewal moment.”

Managers at Work is a monthly column exploring the issues and challenges facing managers. Contact Kathleen Driscoll with questions or comments by email at [email protected]