Every company desperately wants to find high potential employees, and in turn is desperate to keep and develop them to their full potential once they find them. Here are a few suggestions on how to foster an environment which enables people to excel.
Expansive Learning and Development Opportunities
Provide flexibility in how learning and development opportunities are offered and let people choose the programs they think would be most beneficial. This is a great way to recognize that your high performers have both the motivation and self-awareness to know what would best benefit their own development.
Provide challenging assignments and opportunities that stretch employees’ capabilities and provide new learning opportunities. Such stretch assignments provide growth, further sustaining them on the high performance trajectory.
Mentors and Advisors
Don’t forget the important role mentors and experts can play in development. Regular proximity to the right people is more powerful than anything else – it enables people to model, be accountable to and operate at a higher level than they are currently at.
Encourage high performers to create a personal board of advisors to help inform different aspects of their development. This advisory team can change over time as their needs change.
Freedom in Work
Autonomy is key. Wherever possible give people control over what work they take on and how, when and where they do their work.
Recognise that everyone learns, operates and executes in different ways. Try to avoid protocols and systems which force people away from their optimum patterns for high performance.
Encourage high achievers to spend some of their time on topics or projects that are not directly related to their daily responsibilities. Allowing people space to imagine and experiment is the best way to encourage innovation and keep people passionate about what they do.
A Culture of Trust and Engagement
Developing trust requires intentional effort. Encourage openness, transparency and a meritocracy. Create a workplace dynamic where it is ok to make mistakes providing that lessons are learnt from them. Mistakes are a natural and essential part of the learning and growth process.
Communicate openly and frequently with employees about the vision, strategy, goals, and performance of the organization. Involve them in decision-making, problem-solving, and innovation processes.
Show appreciation, recognition and gratitude for efforts, contributions and achievements.
Give People What They Want
Companies often assume what people want instead of just asking them.
For example, some people want promotion to senior levels of leadership. Others don’t – they just want to find something they are really good at and keep doing it. Don’t take superstars out of jobs if they want to stay in them.
Don’t judge someone’s suitability for leadership based on criteria that has nothing to do with leadership. It is often assumed that all top performing individual contributors will be top performing leaders – some will be, but some won’t.
The information provided here is not investment, tax or financial advice. You should consult with a licensed professional for advice concerning your specific situation.
