Every leader would love to have their team filled with high performers. Not only would it make the quality of work better; it would make the leader look great as well. We want to keep these people around, but studies show that leaders fall short when it comes to giving impactful feedback to their best people.
On average high-performers do get more feedback – one and half times as much as everyone else, but that feedback is often hollow and less actionable leaving the person feeling like they didn’t receive any true feedback at all. Today we’ll look at why our feedback doesn’t land well with high performers, what we should focus on, and why it matters.
Why your best are often overlooked
“I don’t really have anything for them to work on,” is a phrase that is often said in talent discussions about top performers. It’s understandable from a certain perspective. They perform well. They likely show up well in their work environments too. What’s to improve? The leader loves everything about the situation! it can be hard to think of how to make someone even better when there isn’t a glaring challenge for the person to overcome.
A response I usually give to help prompt a leader’s thought in those conversations will be something like, “Perhaps there aren’t any obvious gaps, but what are some items or areas where they could use a little polish to be even better?” or, “What knowledge, skills or experience would benefit the person as you think about their next step in their career?” Sometimes just a nudge or a little different perspective helps in thinking about their development differently.
Another area where top performers are overlooked is in year-end reviews. Studies show that for regular and underperforming associates, a leader will match the length and tenor of the associates’s self-assessment. This means if they write a short assessment about themselves then their leader will do the same. The same goes for long self-assessments. The exception here is the high performers. They typically write the longest self-assessments – it makes sense if you think about it; they are proud of their accomplishments and want to make sure they get credit for that work with their leader. The leader however will not match the length here. “Everything looks great! I don’t have much to add here.”
Even if you don’t match your high performers’ level of detail, be sure to put in some good effort; affirm their work, and give them some tips on how to elevate in the next year. it’s easy to overlook your
What to do differently
People quit their organizations when they’re not getting the support they need to grow and be successful. Focus on these things to make sure you are delivering feedback in a way that resonates with your high performers:
1. Make sure that your feedback is meaningful. Avoid general observations, “You did great on that project,” and instead root your comments and feedback in specific pieces of the work. “Great job on your presentation. You came across as very prepared and handled the executives’ questions nicely. Bringing in more data on the implementation costs will be helpful as you continue to share updates on the project.” You can also lean into questions and curiosity to dial in specific feedback. A conversation may look like this:
“Did you hear a theme to the executives’ questions during your presentation?”
“Hmmm….. they kept going back to the ROI projections and questioned how we got there and if there was confidence in how accurate it was. John didn’t have a lot of faith that it was accurate.”
“I heard the same thing. How are you thinking about addressing those concerns?”
“I can give more detail in the pre-read to help them understand the formula better and then offer to answer questions ahead of time by email.”
“I like it. That sounds great. Take care of that one, and they will be even more open to hearing about the next steps in the project. You did a great job presenting today today. Dial in this detail on the next one and you’ll be at an even better place. Go ahead and send a follow-up as well to further answer some of their other questions in the meantime.”
It’s actionable feedback and it’s even better because the person was part of the discovery process.
2. Make it timely and relevant. Make sure your feedback is timely and as close to the action or activities as possible. In the example above, the feedback immediately after the event is helpful and appreciated. A week later, however, the feedback loses much of its value. The executives have likely moved on to the next thing and your high performer has missed a window to show up well in a timely follow-up with the group.
3. Be accurate and avoid exaggeration. This is important to keep this in mind not only when sharing feedback with the person but also when sharing about the person with others. Most people are not always or never anything. “They never miss a deadline.” If a leader defaults to overly positive personal feelings that they have about a person, they are more likely to put on blinders and share exaggerated feedback. This means the leader is not fully doing their job of being thoughtful and analytical about the specifics of a person’s activities or even the person themselves.
Why it all matters
Whether you are a low performer or a high performer, feedback is critical for everyone. Even if the feedback is meant to be affirming, studies show that they are 63% more likely to quit in the next year. people want to get better at their jobs – especially high performers who are often ambitious people who want promotions.
If a high performer gets a promotion but then never gets any particularly helpful feedback, they will likely struggle to find meaning in their work even if they don’t outwardly exhibit it. For them, the work may feel stagnant – the work is just work and not growth. If a promotion isn’t on the immediate horizon or has recently happened, then it becomes really hard for that person who is likely in high demand elsewhere to want to stay where they are.
The mismatched goal of retaining your best people and high performers with a lack of actionable, true, and timely feedback is a recipe for exactly what you don’t want – a reason for the person to leave. Make sure your feedback is delivered in a way that resonates with the person and gives them a chance to excel. They’ll be thankful for it and will continue to grow while sticking around longer and making a difference for others.
Make a better tomorrow.
-ZH
