Identify and Uplift Disengaged High Performers

Employees are always asked to do more, and while there’s the very real employee population that’s only productive 60 percent of the time, many more are productive and performing well. They might also be burned out.

Believe it or not, some employees want to do a good job, even if the workplace is beating them down. Maybe they’re going through a rough patch, or maybe they’re having issues with a colleague. These people usually see a light at the end of the tunnel, so they keep working hard.

The last thing you want to happen is for your high performers to get burned out and decide they’ve had enough. If that happens, you’re out a great employee, and that worker potentially parts ways with you on bad terms. Situations like this can be avoided if you identify and uplift your disengaged high performers.

First, discover the high performers. You should already have a performance management system in place that helps you manage how well your employees are doing. Check out who’s considered a high performer and identify who’s on your team and who else you might interact with.

Next, see who’s becoming disengaged. On your own team, that might be really easy to see. You should also take a look around and see if high performers from other departments that you interact with are having a rough time. You’ll want to see if you can determine the factors that are contributing to that disengagement, too. Some will be within your control, and some won’t.

Finally, uplift the high performers. When you can make a change for your team, make it. If there’s a temporary challenge making life rough for everyone, be sure to express that you know things are difficult. Keep assuring people there’s a light at the end — and deliver on that. For people on other teams, check with them personally, if you can. You might also have to say something to their manager. It could be there’s a problem no one was aware of or something that a simple realignment of priorities could fix. Don’t step on toes, but you can always look out for your colleagues, whether they’re on your team or not.

Check out our white paper “Giving High Performers a Runway.” You’ll find more tips on how you can help high performers succeed and help your company accomplish its goals, too.