As a HR consultant, I see it all the time.
A manager has an employee who is consistently late, missing deadlines, making mistakes, creating conflict or simply not performing at the level expected.
So what happens? They become the focus.
There are meetings about them. There are performance conversations. There are emails about them. There are discussions about what to do with them. There are plans, warnings, follow-ups and check-ins. They consume your thoughts constantly, they are the ones you are lying awake thinking about at 3am, pondering how are you going to address the issue, role paying in your head the conversation you have to have. They are the ones that make you enjoy your job a lot less.
And understandably so. Poor performance needs to be addressed.
There is however a problem with this approach.
We spend so much time managing our lowest performers that we stop paying attention to our highest performers. And while we’re busy trying to fix the person who isn’t performing, the person who is performing exceptionally well may be quietly deciding whether they want to stay.
The employee who doesn’t need managing gets overlooked
Your top performers are often the employees you worry about least.
They turn up. They get the job done. They solve problems. They don’t create drama. They take responsibility. They often go above and beyond without being asked. They simply make your life easier.
Naturally as managers, we spend less time with them. After all, “They’re doing a great job. They don’t need me.” But that’s where we can get it so very wrong. Our best people still need leadership.
They need to feel valued. They need feedback. They need development. They need to understand where their career is going. They need to feel that their contribution matters. And perhaps most importantly, they need to know that you notice them.
The danger of taking good people for granted
There is a particular irony in employee retention. The employee who is underperforming may receive hours of management attention because they are struggling. The employee who is performing exceptionally well may receive very little attention because everything is going smoothly.
Chances are your top performer may be thinking:
“Nobody seems to notice how much I’m doing.”
“There doesn’t seem to be anywhere for me to go here.”
“I haven’t had a meaningful conversation with my manager in months.”
“I’m constantly picking up the slack for other people.”
“Why am I doing more for the same recognition?”
“Maybe another organisation would value what I bring.”
And you may not know any of this until they grab you one day and say “have you got a minute….” You know straight away, you feel your stomach drop and you brace yourself for what comes next. The resignation. By then, it can be too late.
Their resignation letter is not necessarily the beginning of the problem. It can be the final step in a decision they’ve been considering for months. And often, the warning signs were there. We just weren’t looking for them. We were distracted with the poor performers.
So, should we stop managing poor performers?
Absolutely not. Poor performance shouldn’t be ignored. It affects productivity, morale, customer service and, importantly, the employees who are performing well. In fact, one of the quickest ways to frustrate your top performers is to continually ask them to carry the people who aren’t pulling their weight. Your high performers notice. They see who is accountable and who isn’t. They see when poor performance is tolerated. They see when they are constantly asked to pick up the pieces. And eventually they ask themselves “Why am I working so hard when nobody seems to care whether everyone else does?”
The answer isn’t to stop dealing with poor performance. It’s to stop letting poor performance consume all of your management attention and energy.
Make your best people your first priority.
As leaders, we need to deliberately create time for our strongest performers. Not just an annual performance review. Not just a “great job” or “thank you” in passing. And not just when they are about to resign.
Have the conversation, ask them:
- What do you enjoy most about your role?
- What frustrates you?
- What would you like to learn?
- Where do you see your career going?
- What would make you want to stay here for the next few years?
- Is there anything getting in the way of you doing your best work?
- Do you feel your contribution is recognised?
- What could we be doing better as a business?
- What would make this a better place for you to work?
And then listen to the answers, really listen, and then action the feedback.
Don’t wait until they have one foot out the door. Retention isn’t just about counteroffers, pay rises and exit interviews. It starts much earlier. It starts with managers knowing their people. It starts with regular conversations. It starts with recognising contribution. It starts with providing opportunities to learn and grow. It starts with making your best people feel that there is a future for them in your organisation.
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Your top performers probably don’t need a reason to leave. They need a reason to stay.
And if the organisation isn’t giving them one, someone else might.
The HR challenge
The next time you’re sitting in a meeting discussing an employee who isn’t performing, ask yourself another question:
“When was the last time I had a meaningful conversation with one of my best people?”
If you can’t remember, perhaps that’s where some of your management attention needs to go next. Because while poor performance is often loud, high performance can be quiet.
And sometimes the employee creating the biggest risk to your business isn’t the person you’re constantly managing. It is the person you’re assuming will never leave. Trust me, I’ve learnt this lesson the hard way on a few occasions.
