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Managing High Flyers

Guest post by: Eric Garner

Article Overview: Some managers think that the high performers in their team don't need managing. That's a mistake. As a manager, you need to take as much care of your top players as you do of those who could do better. This article will show you how.

Managing High Flyers

High flyers are people in your team who consistently turn in good performance. The problems that high flyers present at appraisal time are different from the problems posed by under-performers or stuck performers. It is not about how to tease out more of the same (that's already happening) but about how to maintain good performance and go that little bit extra to retain and develop them. Here are 7 ways you can manage high flyers. 1. Develop Them Horizontally If the high flyers in your team have reached a peak in their own line of work, and there is nowhere above them for them to go, you can move them sideways to learn about other roles and so develop them horizontally. some people call this "crabwise learning". It is a technique widely used in Japanese businesses. 2. Aim For More Moments of Excellence It is rare for people to perform at optimum levels all of the time. The aim of developing high flyers should be to make those moments of excellence the norm rather than the exception. In appraising high flyers, focus on areas where things don't quite work and how they can do well even in these areas. 3. Prepare Them For the Next Step Up Most people who are high flyers are those who have reached a high level of competency in the skills of one job. Extending their skills upwards, through planned delegation, prepares them for the next job up the ladder and also helps them develop their personal and "soft" skills, such as their leadership ability and teamwork. 4. Add Quality to Competence There is a progression from competence to quality that is the hallmark of top performers. When someone can do a job well, there is competence. When they can do it well for others, there is service. When they can do it well in the way someone else wants, there is quality. Turn your top performers into quality experts. 5. Spread the Expertise A high performer is a valuable resource in any organisation. A wise manager will use them not just to get good performance from them but to extend their skills to others in the team. You can do this through using your high flyers as coaches, role models, and mentors. That way, one 10-minute act of superior performance can quickly become 100. 6. Let Them Take More Risks When your high flyers have mastered the skills of their jobs, you can afford to let them take more creative risks. You can suggest they try new ideas out and perhaps get involved in projects and trying out ways to deliver an even better service. 7. Put Them At the Leading Edge We live in a rapidly changing world where new ideas, new techniques, and new business solutions come at us almost every day. If you have employees who are totally competent in the present way of doing things, you can use these people to work at the leading edge of things, suggesting where you, your team and your organisation can progress in the future. To do this, give them the skills of managing change. High flyers are one of your most valuable assets, ones you cannot afford to lose. Being imaginative about how to develop them even further will benefit them, your team, and your whole organisation.

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Article Tags: appraisal, appraisal skills, top performers



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