Let me start by saying is I don’t have all the answers. However, I see a huge gap in Leadership to have the awareness, infrastructure or processes to ensure your High Performers are nurtured and return value to your business before it’s too late. This doesn’t mean every leader needs to be a mentor to their team, but have some of the skills and the support system to align their High Performers with skilled people who know how to keep them engaged and returning on your investments. So my thoughts are shared with you, the Leader to open my mind to what you can’t see and as a starting point to change the way we approach business and the human assets needed to grow and sustain your business.
- High Performers are Hungry for Direction, but you don’t see it or don’t know how to manage it. They are your top performers, they’re constantly asking for feedback on what to Start, Stop or Continue and they’re asking for more work as a means to hopefully be recognized and promoted. What I’m seeing from the multitude of people I’m mentoring is a) the people who are in charge of their career are NOT giving them the hard feedback of what needs to change to be Visible, Respected & Valued, b) the people in charge of their career lack the skills in being able to give them feedback and c) there is no one else to turn to in the organization due to a lack of investment in developing the High Performers. Does this sound familiar? Can you honestly ask yourself if this is important, have you thought about it or do you see the impact this can have on your business? I know I have as your people have been coming to me for what your leaders are not providing.
- High Performers are Losing their Confidence and are second guessing their value and on the verge of becoming Average. Do you see this as well? When they come on board you see such promise, but over time, new direction, new leadership or environment your High Performers are not performing. Even more disturbing are the leaders who again lack the ability to provide feedback about what should start, stop or continue to give them something to think about to improve. These High Performers start to disengage and Leaders (if I can call them leaders) wonder what has changed and stop investing in them, further fueling the loss on their investment. These High Performers with time will either fade to average or they leave you for new opportunities. I know this because that has happened to me and when I did leave, the company was surprised and did not realize I was seeking higher challenges, impact and to be visible & respected again.
- High Performers go outside of your organization for Mentoring and Guidance because you don’t provide it. This is a positive reflection on the individual due to a Growth Mindset and Vision for their own future. It’s also a negative for the organization because now they’re getting an external perspective from someone who cares. The return to their current leadership who cannot show that caring approach and further reduces their respect for who they work for. The hope is with the mentoring they soon gain the essential skills needed to be Visible and Respected and are back on track for their High Performance Results and hopefully recognition.
Your people are coming to me to mentor them and for that I’m grateful to meet so many great humans. I’m hopeful I can leave a lasting impact on their self esteem and ultimately their personal and career asperations. I’m busy scaling my efforts to bring forth my leadership insights to them to help them become more self aware of their strengths, weakness and passions. I’m working with them to treat feedback as a gift and broaden their perspective on how they show up. I’m providing them the tools for more impactful communications and messaging so they are heard and they show up as leaders to make a difference. The impact of my ability to jumpstart their self awareness and esteem to make a difference in your organization is my gift to your High Performers and to you.
So knowing there is a Leadership Gap in your organization to service your future leaders, what are you going to do about it? Your people are speaking volumes and you’re not hearing it, but I do. I offer my Podcast The Drop in CEO podcast where I provide Insights and Inspirations from Industry Leaders. Shouldn’t that be you? I provide Leadership Tips via Linkedin and Weekly Live Talk Media to bring insights to your High Performers. I also have a Human Centric Leadership Academy that over 6 weeks gives your High Performers the tools they need to be Visible and Respected, but why not you? If this resonates with you and you acknowledge this Leadership Gap, let’s talk because I want to partner with you to preserve your investments. Please know I sincerely care about your High Potentials and I want them to realize their greatest impact personally and professionally. Won’t you join me?
I leave you with this final thought… If you you don’t bridge this Leadership Gap, your High Performers will.
Deborah A. Coviello
Founder of Illumination Partners and the Drop in CEO