Chad Silverstein says high performers will leave if you don't actively challenge them. They know what they want, pivot after failures, and lift the whole team. Ignoring them while tolerating low performers drains your organization.
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One of the things that always impresses me about people who are high performers is not only do they know what they want, they know why they want it, but they're willing to do anything to go get it. And that's where most people quit. You know, it's one thing to have a very intense desire to want something really bad, but it goes so beyond just wanting it. You can have the best intentions in the world, you can want something so bad, but if you're not willing to actually do the hard work, which most people are not, then you're not going to get it. And the rare individuals who know exactly what they want, at what level they want it, and then they're willing to do anything to go after it, you can't stop people like that. They're able to overcome all kinds of challenges because if they fail, they'll just pivot and they'll go a different direction. And so if you have someone on your team that have this type of a mindset, embrace it and challenge them. Challenge them, because typically they're ignored because they're a high performer. And most leaders look at high performers, they just think they're on autopilot because they're doing great, and they're always at the top of the charts, and they focus their energy on low performers. You cheat here, you cheat towards your strong performers. You don't ignore them. You challenge your low performers, and then you go and you spend time and make the high performers better because they'll lift the entire system. The low performers will drain you and make you hate your job. If you have people on your team that are doing great and they need to be challenged, don't shy away from it. Challenge them to do more, especially if they have this attitude that they're willing to do anything to go after whatever it is that they're after. That is a rare quality that you want on your team, you want for yourself, and has an amazing impact on a culture that's trying to grow and sustain results and break records and attract more people who can help them do even more.
