Ask Your Top Performers for More
Developing a strategy to drive performance in your very top performers is difficult. Typically top performers inhabit the upper ranges of your pay scales and therefore you have less room for additional monetary incentives. Or they are in a commission or variable pay plan and they are already earning more due to their level of performance.
The next logical step is to develop a recognition program that allows management to publicly extol the value and the work of the high performer. Most companies do this and it is a very good strategy for helping to retain and reward top performers.
But now you’re in a place where you top performers are earning more and getting recognized regularly. What more can you do? Human nature being what it is, these high performers will be looking for the next step – the next indicator that they are valuable and contributing.
What more can you give them to make sure they are happy at work, fulfilled in their position and committed to your organization?
Don’t Give Any More – It’s Time to Take
As managers we typically try to find ways to give more to those that give more to us. Whether that is money, title, time, or attention – we try to balance the scales for top performers. They give us their effort, their skills, their time – and we want to be sure we give back. We’re afraid that if we don’t balance the scales they will leave.
But here’s a suggestion that sounds counterintuitive but will pay big benefits.
Ask them for more.
- Ask them to contribute as a mentor to others in their area of expertise.
- Ask them to help develop a training program for new hires.
- Ask them for their opinion on new products, services, approaches in the market.
- Ask them to participate in company strategy development.
- Ask them to be on a “future council” where they meet with other top performers in the company to talk about where the business is heading and what the company should be paying attention to – both with time and with money.
In other words – recognize their contribution to the organization by asking them to contribute more.
It’s About Scope of Impact
Giving your top performers the opportunity to contribute outside their day-to-day work is recognition in the highest form.
When we think of those in history who have had the biggest impact we tend to think big. We tend to think about individuals who impacted the world, or a country or a large group of people.
Normally, your top performers are rewarded and recognized for their contributions within their corner of the company. Whether that be top sales people, marketing folks, or customer service people earning recognition in their department in the company.
Asking top performers from different areas to contribute to the larger mission of the enterprise you are expanding the scope of their impact. Allowing these individuals to contribute to future company strategy, future products, future employees – you expand their impact outside their normal day-to-day activities and elevate their stature within the company.
Ask Not…
It will work today as surely as it worked in the 60’s when President John F. Kennedy said… “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
I think President Kennedy hit on a very important element of motivation and engagement… We ultimately value ourselves not by how much we get for our work – but by how much our work allows others to achieve more.
Stop giving and start taking advantage of your top performers – ask them to give more.
Photos by Joeltelling and tellmewhat2. Licensed under CC.
