Happy employees are more likely to perform well than unhappy ones. This boosts productivity; no surprise there. Whereas a high-performing, low potential employee may benefit from a soft skills course or leadership training. They don't let things pile up, and they certainly don't disregard matters that require attention. And this puts you in elite company, too. "A high performer's #1 goal is to do business. An effective team is designed, built, and managed. Few and far between, highly prized, and at times difficult to manage, studies have shown that high performers on… assumption – that a high performer is also a high … Instead of giving reasons why something can’t be done, positive high performers ask, “How can I make it work?” It’s a shock to some people to learn that high-performance factors seldom have to do with superior talents or skills, and have much more to do with the simple act of making choices. Make sure there you have well-established high-potential employee programs in place. After all, in the corporate world, these are the elements that make or break companies every day. It refers to the effectiveness, quality, and efficiency of their output. Example 3: Employee is submitting high-quality work Ava finished all of her work on time and paid attention to the details. The importance of knowing the difference between satisfaction and engagement is critical for an organization to make strategic decisions to create a culture of engagement. It's no secret that some employees perform better than others. It would be interesting to look at some qualities of high performing employees, and what they do differently from others that set them apart. High performers understand the central importance of lifelong learning to career advancement. Why: High performers are like human sponges, absorbing as much information as they can to improve their professional or personal life. A high-performing employee is extremely valuable to a company. During preparation and goal setting, you need to make how you will evaluate the employee’s performance clear. They go by a dozen different nicknames- rock stars, superstars, overachievers, A-players, etc. But one observation is rather jarring: “In the typical company among the hundreds we've studied,” Gallup says, “this combination exists in just 5 percent of individual contributors.” This percentage may be reflected in your small business, too, and you'd like to see it rise. Do you know the four basic components of EI? Organizations that have made a strategic investment in employee development, Gallup finds, report 11% greater profitability and are twice as likely to retain their employees. Being recognized for their accomplishments makes high-performers tick. 1)      Self Motivated: High performing employees are usually highly self-motivated people. Brendon Burchard (@BrendonBurchard) is a best-selling author who’s extensively covered the topic of HiPos. They are more sustainable, have higher levels of engagement and therefore efficiency. They are self driven, perseverant, focused and disciplined in their work. In an interview, they are likely to look at you as if you were daft. As it turns out, even if you’re mid-career… Assembling a High-Performance TeamA team doesn’t just happen. What differentiates extraordinary performers from everyone else goes deeper than simply better performance. 6)      Good communicators: High performing employees are usually good communicators. He is dedicated to his company and exhibits a number of skills that set him apart from his peers. The Eagle Hill survey suggests an uphill battle for recruiters and hiring managers, with just 40% of respondents reporting that their company did a good job of recruiting and hiring high performers, only 60% said if they had to do it all over again, they would rehire most or all of their employees, and overall, survey respondents thought they made a “good hire” 25% of the time. Employee orientation should give new hires a complete understanding of the flow of the business, the nature of the work, employee benefits, and the fit of his or her job within the organization. This doesn't produce the greatest ratio, and you'd like to increase the likelihood of identifying high performers. Meanwhile, employees with the lowest performance scores in the company were closely connected to new employees. If you have an employee who is habitually a low performer, skip the reprimand for a change and ask the employee what he likes and dislikes about his job. Though a majority of employees generally perform well, a percentage of employees are usually “high performers” and organizations really value and respect their contributions and go extra miles to keep them happy and retain them. Few and far between, highly prized, and at times difficult to manage, studies have shown that high performers on average perform up to 400% more than the average employee … McEwan says that high levels of engagement are also associated with higher employee performance. High-performing employees usually don’t have problems citing their goals. Dan Byrne, a logistics cocoordinator at Sony Australia, likes that the company offers flexibility for off-site training and opportunities to move and grow within the business. A study by SAP and Oxford Economics revealed that one in five high performers are likely to leave their jobs within the next six months—and less than half are satisfied with their jobs.. They are “project people” who thrive on challenge and autonomy. In fact, the pool of high performers may be even smaller than the Gallup research suggests: Many small-business owners may put an employee’s self-concept behind their own goals, especially if they're operating in a competitive environment that demands not just average but superior products and service. They also have good oral communication skills, to put forth their ideas. Gallup Business Journal: Companies Are Maximizing Only 5% of Their Workforces, Psychology Today: The Upsides of Being Average, Cultivated Management: The 10 Behaviours of Effective Employees, HR Technologist: High Performance Behaviors, Elite Daily: The 10 Traits Of Extremely Successful People, TLNT: The 5 Attributes of High-Performing Employees, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council: Facts & Data on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Forbes: How To Manage An 'Average' Employee, Harvard Business Review: How to Manage Your Star Employee, Insperity: 4 Ways to Continue to Get the Most Out of High Performers, A Theory of Goal Setting By Locke & Latham. High performers stand out from average performers in any organization. By helping employees recognize that the benefits of collaborating with high performers can outweigh the threats, managers can assure that star performers are embraced rather than sabotaged. A high-performance culture is a set of behaviors and norms that leads an organization to achieve superior results by setting clear business goals, defining employees’ responsibilities, creating a trusting environment, and encouraging employees to continuously grow and reinvent themselves. In fact, there is no greater asset than top talent. If they can't see a way to create value in the moment, they facilitate or strategize instead. Employee retention and education begins with a positive employee orientation. High-Quality Employee Recognition. Acknowledge accomplishments with shout-outs, awards, bonuses, paid time off or other perks (such as half-day Fridays or … And this starts with a clear, clutter-free desk. And, according to Thomas J. and Sara deLong in their article "Managing Yourself: The Paradox of Excellence," one of the primary reasons that high achievers plateau is fear of failure.Ironically, the more that others celebrate a high achiever's successes, the more afraid he or she can become of making mistakes. Particularly in North America, development is … A recent BambooHR study found that 94 per cent of employees who receive recognition daily are … Employees who lack motivation to perform at a high level often have a lack of goals to blame. You should be able to glean some valuable insights about their attitude, work ethic, tenacity and sense of teamwork. Qualities of High Performing Employees 1) Self Motivated: High performing employees are usually highly self-motivated people. Top performers take night classes, go to seminars, participate actively in conferences and read in their field. Although high performers are often self-motivated, managers should continue working with these employees to set measurable goals and provide … Why: “Average” employees usually aren't interested in new ideas, much less devise a system for keeping track of them. High potential employees are 91% more valuable to a business than non-high potential workers.. No need to put the whole emphasis on personality but do give it a heavy weight when picking the best from the pack.