As a leader, it’s natural to focus on employees who are struggling or need more support to improve their performance. However, it’s equally important to pay attention to your star employees. These employees have consistently demonstrated their capabilities and have made significant contributions to the team and the organization. Ignoring them can be detrimental in the long run.
Your star performers are an observant group. They see some employees get away with the bare minimum and wonder if you are serious about standards. If it continues for too long, they’ll grow to resent it or find another organization more aligned with their values.
They also see that some employees take up most of your time. You help struggling employees with their challenges, but your star performers also have challenges. While they may seem to breeze through their jobs, they do have goals, frustrations, and occasional setbacks. Making space to hear them and work with them to achieve their goals is crucial to keeping your star performers engaged with their work.
Here are four things to consider when working with your star employees:
Star employees want to be challenged
Your best-performing employees thrive on challenges. They want to take on new projects that help them grow professionally. By giving them more challenging work, you not only keep them engaged and motivated, but you also help them develop new skills and knowledge that can benefit your organization in the long run.
They can become complacent
If your best-performing employees feel like they’re not being recognized or given new challenges, they may become complacent or bored. They may feel like they’ve reached their full potential and have nothing left to learn or achieve in their current role. This can lead to a lack of motivation and engagement, and they may start looking for new opportunities elsewhere.
They can inspire others
Your best-performing employees set the bar for others in your organization. When they’re recognized and rewarded for their efforts, it can inspire others to strive for excellence as well. By ignoring your best-performing employees, you’re missing out on an opportunity to create a culture of excellence and high performance.
They deserve your attention
Your best-performing employees are your most valuable assets. They’re the ones who consistently deliver exceptional results and contribute to your organization’s success. By ignoring them, you’re sending a message that their efforts and contributions don’t matter. This can lead to resentment and disengagement, which can be damaging to your organization’s culture and morale.
Learn the keys to employee engagement with our eight-week course, Be the Leader Nobody Wants to Leave. The course includes personal and group coaching for a fully personalized learning experience. Click here to learn more, or schedule a free 30-minute consultation to learn more.
