I received an email this week which asked for my opinion on high-performers. The email read, “It would be great to hear your ideas/tips for Bosses and Employees regarding working with “high performers”. I was specifically thinking about the high performance employee working with a boss that doesn’t fall into this category. However, getting some tips on the opposite would no doubt be helpful for many as well.”
High-performers indeed. The conversation on this one has two sides. So in this installment, I will explore high-performers from an “under performing” boss perspective. See Employee Tips #9 for the employee’s perspective.
In a nutshell, here is my opinion: a boss who under performs his or her own high-performer won’t be able to keep them, hire them or find another high-performer to replace the one who just left.
Now, let me expand my thoughts. There are a few myths out there about high-performers. The first is that high-performers don’t need to be managed and secondly, that high-performers don’t want to be managed. Both are true while at the same time, both are also myths.
Both statements are true when it comes to under performing bosses. High-performing employees don’t want to be lead by a boss who couldn’t do the same job on a good day. That would be just a joke.
High-performers want to follow someone they can look up to and aspire to be. If your employee can do the job better than you, step aside and let them run the place. No really, I’m serious about that one. If, as the leader/manager, you are impeding the development of your best people by trying to lead people who are clearly better than you at the job, then you’re just going to irritate them and they’ll go looking for a new and more challenging place to work. If, as a boss, you won’t develop yourself, what kind of message are you sending to those who are under you clearly outperforming your abilities?
Word gets around that if you’re a high-performer or even aspire to be one, then don’t join that company. The boss is clearly under qualified and working for him/her will be a frustrating experience and will impact your income potential. High-performers are attracted to the companies with outstanding leadership, recognition and remuneration. High-performing companies attract high-performers. High-performers need to be managed and mentored but they need it to come from someone who has achieved what they want to achieve.
High-performers, because they are just that, high-performers, want to continue to grow, to expand and to test their own limits. If, as a boss, you have no program in place that can help your best people get better, then they will go looking for a place to make that happen. They don’t want to be left alone. High-performers want to have a little elbow room and some freedoms but also want to learn how to turn up their own performance even more. If you can’t offer that then be honest and tell the high-performing candidate that they would be better off trying to find work for one of your high-performing competitors. Hey, don’t kid yourself. You won’t keep them for long. They’ll soon find out the truth and you’re out one high-performer who knows your company’s secrets and weaknesses. They’re going to make you pay one way or the other.
So, if you’re an under performing boss, don’t embarrass yourself by hiring someone who is clearly better than you unless you are an outstanding example of how to self-motivate, self-start and have some outstanding leadership skills you could pass on. It will soon become apparent to the rest of the staff who carries the weight of accomplishments and who gets the glory for the work getting done.
If you’re an under performing boss and want to develop a team of high-performers, well then you have a little work to do don’t you? That work is on you. When you as a boss get better, you will be able to attract a better caliber of employee who wants to perform, wants to reach the top of their earning potential and wants to test their outer limits. In other words, when you get better, your team gets better. Your results get better and your company gets better. So, better get to work.
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