From small teams to large teams, single office businesses to multi-site, international corporations… one thing that all businesses have in common is the need to recruit, keep and nurture high performing individuals. The people that a business employs are, after all, the pillar stones to its success.
So what can you, as a business owner and leader, do to identify high performing individuals and motivate them towards achieving the goals of the business?
Firstly, let’s define what ‘high performance’ actually means. It is the difference between being an amateur and being a professional. Amateurs will have moments of excellence; moments of brilliance. They tend to ride that ‘high’ for as long as possible, but often fail to recreate it time and time again. A professional on the other hand consistently delivers at an exceptional level, acknowledges the win and uses it as a platform to reach the next level. They are willing to go above and beyond, doing whatever it takes, to achieve what others cannot. The key word here is consistency.
Some people believe that a high performing individual is someone who is world-class in what they do. I don’t believe that to be true. I believe that anyone can be a high performer given the right environment and tools to thrive.
When recruiting, or identifying high performers in your existing team, look for those who are prepared to do what others won’t. The people who don’t give up and remain focused during the good times and bad.
They are the individuals who prepare meticulously for the task at hand. They are always willing to listen, learn, and push themselves. They seek absolute clarity on what the end result looks like, and seek feedback and constructive criticism at each stage to ensure that they are exceeding objectives and continually delivering to a high standard. They have the ability to reflect and adjust their plans based on their reflections, all the while staying on track towards that end goal.
To quote Bobby Knight, the famous American basketball coach, ““The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win. Everyone wants to win but not everyone wants to prepare to win. Preparing to win is where the determination that you will win, is made.”
High performing individuals have sponge-like brains. They accept that they don’t always know best and seek opportunities to absorb new information and learnings from their environment and others. They have an optimistic outlook, accept that set-backs are temporary and that solutions can be found.
To harness their energy to achieve shared goals, it is important that you create an environment that allows their unique qualities to shine. Provide them with tools and resources they need to execute their plans. Allow them the freedom to develop new ideas, run new projects and give them the autonomy to make decisions without fear of criticism. Create opportunities for them to learn, reflect, connect and share both internally and externally from your organisation. Highlight their accomplishments and allow them to share their skills with others so they too can develop personally and professionally.
After all, “high performers are not born, they are conditioned by habit” – Brendon Buchard.
