Within every organization there is a special breed of employee that lifts the organization to a higher level. They are what I call "The Top Performers." Through the sheer force of their energy and commitment to the organization, they accomplish more and lead others to achieve better results than was ever thought possible. However, these individuals are not satisfied to reach the mountaintop and rest on that plateau. They want to find the next mountainside to climb and conquer. Consequently, managers of top performers need to use a specific set of guidelines to maximize the value these individuals bring to the organization.

Guidelines for managing top performers:

1. Clarify The Highest Priorities Of The Organization
2. Turn Each Priority Into A Specific Project
3. Clarify The Desired Outcomes And The Value Of The Outcome
4. Communicate The Importance Of Successfully Completing The Project
5. Turn The Project Over To The Top Performer
6. Be A Resource, Not A Director
7. Provide Meaningful Rewards And Recognition
8. Force The Top Performer To Take A Break

CLARIFY THE HIGHEST PRIORITIES OF THE ORGANIZATION

In managing a top performer it is very important to do your homework before you discuss the future with them. Top performers want to be doing things that make a real difference in terms of the short-term and long-term success of the organization. They want to be involved with the issues that matter the most. Therefore, it is crucial that you take the time to identify your organization's highest priority issues. Is it profit margin on your most popular products and services? Is it customer commitment scores? Is it reducing the turnover of your highest potential front-line workers? Is it developing a breakthrough product or service that puts your organization in front of the competition? Be absolutely clear about what the two to three most important priorities are for the organization or group that you are managing. These priorities need to be clear and specific and cannot cover the gamut of every aspect of your business.

TURN EACH PRIORITY INTO A SPECIFIC PROJECT

Top performers love to feel that they are acting in the old TV series, "Mission Impossible." You know the tape, "This is your mission if you choose to accept it… This tape will self-destruct in ten seconds." Every priority in your organization needs to be turned into a specific and exciting project. Give the project a special code name, something that will capture the intent of the priority and the spirit of the participants. McDonald's Corporation implemented a special operating system in 1999 that allowed crew members to fix meals as they were ordered. This project became known as 100% Made For You, which meant that every restaurant would have this new equipment installed and operating by the end of the year. This generated incredible focus on the parts of thousands of employees.

CLARIFY THE DESIRED OUTCOME AND THE VALUE OF THE OUTCOME

Be absolutely clear as to what the desired outcomes are for this project. Then identify why these outcomes are so important. My definition of value is anything that increases the chances that an organization will achieve what it wants to achieve. How will this project add value to the organization? It is tremendously important to know the value of the project if you want to get the top performers in the organization to drive the project to a successful conclusion. What specific meaningful results will this project impact for your internal and external customers?

COMMUNICATE THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING THE PROJECT

You have laid the groundwork and now you are ready to market the project. Sell the members of your organization on the enormous importance of successfully implementing this project. Get them to realize that the future of the organization could very well rest on the success or failure of this project. Send out e-mails, put up posters, attach recognition and compensation, and make it clear that this is THE key project that will take the organization to the next level. This buzz will start to attract the attention of your very best employees. Suddenly they want to be as involved in that project as is possible. Rather than begging for volunteers, you will be able to carefully select from the crème of the crop.

TURN THE PROJECT OVER TO A TOP PERFORMER

This is the moment that a top performer lives for: the chance to do something extraordinary! Nothing will get in their way. They will pour their entire being into figuring out how to scale this mountain. By doing the pre-work in terms of identifying priorities, turning them into projects and communicating the value of successfully executing these projects, you have reduced your workload considerably. You have created the prize and now the top performer will do everything they can to be involved and then to be successful. Give them the title they want: Project Leader. Let everyone in the organization know they are the head of the project. They will have decision-making capacity and the other members of the project will report to them. Make a very big deal about how tremendously important they are to reaching the Holy Grail: a successful project!

BE A RESOURCE, NOT A DIRECTOR

Make sure you read this next sentence carefully: top performers hate to be told what to do. It sends them into a rage. They want the autonomy to fail or succeed based on their own wits and decisions. Do not direct them on how to handle every situation and issue that pops up. Periodically calibrate with them on the desired outcomes. Provide them with support and advice. But by all means do not try to run the project. A top performer is more likely to leave an organization for a lack of autonomy than they are for a lack of income. (Of course, don't try to be cheap with your top performers either.)

PROVIDE MEANINGFUL REWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Think about Warren Buffett, one of the wealthiest individuals in the world. He says, "It's not that I want money. It's the fun of making money and watching it grow." He doesn't care about how much money he has, but he cares very much about succeeding in the projects he is working on. The same is true for all top performers. They want to hear from their boss that they are succeeding. They want other people to know. That's why they keep score in sports. The idea is to win. Reward your top performers in meaningful ways. They should be receiving bonuses and public recognition that are commensurate with the value that they are generating through these projects. Build in goals within the framework of the overall project so that you can provide recognition and rewards along the way.

FORCE THE TOP PERFORMER TO TAKE A BREAK

By setting up an extremely meaningful project and turning the reins over to a top performer, you have essentially built a very fast car and put a top-notch driver in it to push the pedals. However, be careful that the car doesn't go so fast that it flies off the road or crashes into the wall. Force the person to take a break, to be with their family, to go on a vacation and in general to get away from the project. You are doing this for the good of both the individual and the project. By getting away they will be able to think more clearly and execute more effectively when they come back.

Before the project is over, start clarifying the next priority and turning it into a project. You want to avoid having the top performer resting on the mountaintop and wondering if the next mountainside to climb is over with your competition.

As an effective communicator, remember to sculpt your message carefully so it has relevance and value to the other person and is presented with the proper balance of substance and brevity.

Dan Coughlin is a professional speaker, executive coach and consultant who specializes in enhanced individual effectiveness.

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