High performers. We all want them on our payroll. Because when they are, they bring increased sales, better customer service and greater innovation.
But how do you attract and retain these types of people? And what makes them tick?
We talked to Dr Eric Frazer – leading forensic psychologist, leadership coach and author of The Psychology of Top Talent – to help us unravel the secrets of high performers.
The psychology of high-performers
How do high-performers achieve such consistently great results? It comes down to good psychological habits, according to Dr Frazer.
“What differentiates high performers from everyone else is that they possess heightened self-awareness,” he says. “They quickly recognise – sometimes with help of a coach or mentor – when they’re getting derailed, and quickly return to their optimal potential once again.”
Aside from self-awareness and the ability to bounce back, there’s another key quality worth looking out for. While it may have done your moggy a bad turn, being curious, or having a “mindset of continuous learning,” as Dr Fraser puts it, helps high performers to “consistently outpace their peers.”
Hiring beyond the hunch
“Trust your gut” might be a useful maxim when choosing which colour to paint the living room, but it’s a risky business when it comes to picking talent. After all, if intuition were foolproof, then no one would ever make hiring mistakes, which of course they do.
Dr Frazer observes: “Time and time again I see organisations deviating from reasonably good hiring processes, and making final decisions mostly on hunches that ultimately lead to costly outcomes.”
And that’s putting it mildly. Some HR agencies now estimate that the expense of making the wrong hire can be up to an eye-watering $850,000 per employee. Yep. That’s enough to pay for the average yearly salary of 13 US workers (or about a quarter of a million KitKat Chunkies) – for one wrong hire.
That’s where knowing how to distinguish a characteristically great performance from a lucky fluke comes in clutch. To do this, Dr Frazer encourages you to separate fact from intuition. And it’s all about asking the right questions.
“As a psychologist, focusing on behaviour is a proven predictor,” he notes. “This means looking at the success stories and validating that the evidence is accurate. That there’s a pattern and not a ‘one-off’ successful outcome. It means speaking with multiple references and going deeper to understand how that individual’s character drove outstanding results.”
How to attract high-performers
When trying to sell a working experience, it’s easy to over index on the necessary skills, the shiny perks and how many Coke Zeros are stashed in the office fridge. But in doing so we tend to neglect deeper, more intrinsic human motivators.
And employers need to shift the focus, Dr Frazer believes.
“There should be more of an emphasis on learning what candidates are curious about,” he says, “on fueling their energy, motivation, commitment, and connection. It doesn’t mean ignoring capabilities, but there needs to be a mindset of getting to know the whole person. Their deep interests, hobbies, their professional and personal passions.”
And to seal the deal?
“Be able to offer some type of commitment to those passions: a mentor, continuous outstanding learning opportunities, a ‘professional development’ fund with minimal restrictions and a promise that delivers.”
Keeping high-performers around
It’s one thing getting talent in the building, it’s another to maintain an environment they couldn’t bear to leave. After all, when you’re dealing with humans whose interests and expectations are constantly changing, it’s not enough just to get them through the door.
To prevent unwanted turnover, Dr Frazer suggests asking these questions.
Ask your high-performers:
- “What matters most to you about your work?
- What could make this work environment better for everyone?
- Aside from money, how would you ideally like to be compensated?
- If you had 3 wishes for resources that would make you more successful at your work here, what would they be?”
What you do with the feedback could mean the difference between your best people staying or jumping ship to your competitor.
The bottom line
High performers are drawn to depth, curiosity and genuine connection. As Dr Frazer says, “Networking without authentic engagement is useless.” The smartest move you can make is to ask better questions, listen harder – and build an environment where top talent feels seen, heard and inspired to stay.
