Mark Murphy shares findings from a survey of 7,000 managers across 500 companies: only 36% of employees are perceived as delivering great work. He explains the gap between good and great using concrete examples and the concept of word pictures, then outlines the habits and initiative that distinguish star performers.
Hi, Mark Murphy here, and I want to share some findings from our latest study that might shock you. We surveyed over 7,000 managers across nearly 500 companies with one simple question: What percent of your employees do you think are delivering great work right now? The results? Only 35.7% of employees are perceived to be delivering great work. That's barely more than 1 in 3 employees. But here's what's even more eye-opening, perhaps. 62% of managers believe that fewer than half of their employees are doing great work. Think about that for a second. Nearly two-thirds of managers look at their teams and think, most of my people are not performing at their potential. That's either a massive performance problem or maybe a massive opportunity. Let me break down what we found. Nearly 32% of managers say fewer than 20% of their employees do great work. Another 30% say only 21 to 40% do great work. Just 5.6% of managers believe most of their team delivers great work. So what's going on here? Are expectations too high? Are we failing to give people the tools they need? Or are we not addressing performance issues honestly enough? Now, I gotta say, before you think this is all doom and gloom, here's the thing. I actually believe the gap between good work and great work is much smaller than most people think. And that's really where the opportunity lies here. See, most people think becoming a star employee requires some supernatural talent, like being Michael Jordan or Serena Williams or whoever. And sure, those people exist, but they're rare. What really makes somebody a star at work is not superhuman talent. It's actually a set of simple habits that transform good work into great work. At Leadership IQ, we use something called the word picture to define the difference. Think of it like a mental snapshot that clearly separates good from great behaviors. Let me give you some examples. CEO once called me frustrated that his team wasn't adapting to a major software change. We did a quick word picture exercise. Good work was supporting the change and saying, okay, I'll give it a try. Great work was saying, not only will I embrace this change, but I'll also help encourage others and keep them focused on the positives. Or take an engineering firm where accuracy was everything. Good work was finding a mistake, reporting it to the boss, and proposing a solution. But great work taking it a step further, sharing that mistake with the whole team so everyone can learn from it and nobody else has to make the same mistake ever again. Here's another key difference: initiative. It's not just about doing your job well. It's about stepping up, volunteering for that extra task, asking, hey, can I take this on? It's the people who take that extra step, who don't wait to be asked, who stand out as stars. Here's the bottom line, really. You don't need a special title or position to do great work. The difference between good and great is subtle, but it is a choice every one of us can make. So whether you're a manager looking at that 35.7% statistic and wondering how to improve it, or you're an individual contributor asking yourself how to stand out, the answer is the same. Ask yourself, where can I take my good work and make it great? That's how you become a star, one simple intentional step at a time. Now, if you're a leader who wants to close this performance gap and help more of your team deliver great work, we can help with that. Our High Impact Employee Masterclass Library includes 10 courses designed to take employees from good to great, covering everything from star employee habits to emotional intelligence. And if you'd like me to teach these concepts to your team directly, contact us, let us know. The data shows we have a massive opportunity to unlock human potential in the workplace. The real question is, are we ready to seize it?
