How to keep high performers engaged and growing 

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Managing high performers requires careful consideration, bringing support, coaching, and recognition to the table. 

High performers bring exceptional value to teams and organizations. To harness the potential of these high performers while ensuring their well-being and growth, leaders must balance support, challenge, and recognition effectively.

What defines high performance?

High performers stand out not just for the quality and impact of their work, but for how they approach it. Here’s what I’ve noticed sets them apart:

• Self-management: high performers take high accountability for their work and don’t need constant oversight. They proactively review their own work and look for ways to improve.
• Consistency: their ability to consistently deliver high-quality work that meets or exceeds expectations makes them reliable contributors.
• Collaborative mindset: they excel in teamwork, often lifting others around them by sharing knowledge, mentoring, or simply demonstrating effective communication.
• Impact awareness: they think beyond their immediate tasks, considering how their contributions affect their projects, teams, and the organization.
• Commitment to improvement: they’re not content to leave things as they found them, striving to improve processes, outcomes, or team dynamics.

Meeting the needs of high performers

High performers bring a lot to a team, but they also have unique needs and require a unique managerial approach. They thrive on personalized, thoughtful leadership that addresses their intrinsic motivations and vulnerabilities.

Here are four things to keep in mind when leading these unique individuals. 

1. Give detailed praise and recognition

High performers are often their own harshest critics. While their self-reflective nature is fuel for their self-management superpower, it can also lead to self-doubt or a tendency to focus on shortcomings.

• Why it matters: without external validation, they may undervalue their contributions or feel unappreciated despite their successes. Meaningful acknowledgment can help them overcome any negativity bias and see their efforts and impact more accurately. Feeling that they are doing a good job keeps high performers more positive about themselves and others.
• How to do it: provide specific, actionable praise. Instead of general comments like “great job,” detail how their work positively impacted the team or project. For example: “Your detailed code review caught several issues that saved us a lot of rework. That attention to detail is invaluable to the team’s success.”

2. Create challenging opportunities aligned with long-term goals

High performers thrive on meaningful challenges that push their boundaries, especially when it means they’re growing in the direction they want to go long-term. Collaborate to identify their career goals and build a personalized development plan. Then, use that plan to tailor individual development opportunities, ensuring they feel a sense of progression.

Designing consistent opportunities to learn and practice keeps them motivated and engaged. Provide them with challenges to hone technical skills and also to help them build leadership and influence, assigning roles where they can guide teams or drive strategic initiatives.

• Why it matters: repeating the same types of tasks – even tasks they’re good at – can be demotivating for high performers, who are always in pursuit of growth. Variety and new learning opportunities keep high performers engaged and excited to be a part of your team.
• How to do it: assign projects that stretch their skills or expose them to new domains. Clearly outline why you believe they’re ready for the challenge and how the growth opportunities link to their goals. For example: “I’m assigning you to lead this cross-functional initiative because your ability to navigate complexity and influence stakeholders makes you the perfect fit. This will also give you new experience in managing third-party vendor partnerships, which will be important when you eventually become a director.”

3. Practice coaching, not directing

High performers are highly capable of solving problems and making decisions independently. They benefit more from guidance that empowers them than from prescriptive instruction.

• Why it matters: autonomy fuels their motivation and helps them develop solutions, often surpassing the ideas and tasks they would have completed if directed.
• How to do it: use high-quality questions to guide them. For example: “What do you think are the top three risks in this approach? How might we mitigate them?” These prompts encourage reflection and ownership while showing trust in their abilities.

4. Clear endings

The relentless drive of high performers can lead to burnout if not carefully managed. They often struggle to pause for rest and are continually chasing the next goal. As a leader, one of the most powerful things you can do for a high performer is to conclude projects with intention, first celebrating, then reflecting, and finally taking a break. 

• Why it matters: without a moment of rest and reflection to conclude their projects, high performers risk physical and emotional exhaustion, which can erode their performance and well-being over time.
• How to do it: conclude projects with explicit moments of celebration, reflection, and rest:
  
  • Celebrate: publicly acknowledge successes. For example: “This project was a massive success, in no small part due to your leadership and foresight. I’d love to take a moment to celebrate how far we’ve come with a team lunch.”
  • Reflect: encourage them to analyze their growth. Ask questions like, “What did you learn about your strengths through this project?”
  • Rest: actively encourage breaks, emphasizing their importance as a part of the creation process. Say things like, “Take next week to recharge. You’ve earned it, and it’s essential for your long-term performance.”

Final thoughts

Managing high performers requires thoughtful effort, but the payoff is immense. These individuals are not just contributors – they’re multipliers, elevating those around them and driving organizational success. By recognizing their unique needs and providing tailored support, you can keep them engaged, fulfilled, and performing at their best. 

The most impactful leaders don’t just manage high performers – they empower them to reach their full potential while fostering a sustainable work environment.