Managing ‘stars’: The ‘E’ drive

In managing and retaining stars it is all about making them feel that they are in the top priority list of valued assets 

Organisations are grappling with the challenge of employee retention in this extremely competitive business climate where the right talent is scarce and in high demand. Businesses are on the lookout for exceptional individuals with the right skillset and mindset to cherry pick them for their business sustenance and continuity. To fill succession gaps. As a result, high performers, or ‘stars’ as with the corporate jargon have high mobility where the current employer runs the risk of losing them to competition and/or greener pastures if not retained strategically. 

Especially in high tech industries, specialist sectors such as aviation, aerospace, and the ICT profession, this challenge is greater due to a dearth of global talent. Numbers may be available now in the pandemic retarded downsizing phenomenon; yet the people with right attitude, skills, and knowledge – those competent and future ready – are assets that are elusive to acquire. 

Moreover, it is a characteristic of the to ‘move on’ from employers after short stints if they do not find the right engagement and satisfaction. For them it is not the long term that matters but the adrenalin flow derived from work, at times even secondary to monetary stimulation. Talent is so scarce that global corporates have resorted to ‘school talent scouting’ from college hiring.

The approach suggested below is based on years of experience, observation, practice, failure, and success in human capital management. The author proposes an ‘E drive’ as elaborated below for managing and retaining star employees or exceptional performers with future potential.

• Embrace
• Excite
• Entice
• Entertain
• Educate 
• Evolve

Embrace 

Human beings at any level, need and expect recognition and to be valued as worthwhile. In an organisational context employees need to feel welcomed, valued and appreciated for what they are, what they contribute and what they perceive as their value. This is a given and this is a basic requirement in managing people. However, some organisations do not even go to these basics to keep their employees motivated and engaged. 

In managing and retaining stars it is all about making them feel that they are in the top priority list of valued assets. Embrace them in that manner. This amounts to recognising them as stars based on your evaluation or selection model, communicating it to them first and next to the rest of the organisation. All levels of the organisation must be aware of the reasons by which a select set of employees chosen or recruited are recognised as stars. You must have a balanced, transparent, and objective yardstick to identify stars, and this must be well understood by the entire organisation.

By doing so you create acceptance by all whereby they are embraced as ‘role models’ by the entire organisation. They can be established as exemplary role models of what the organisation needs for business continuity. Succession poolists, highflyers, top 10 (or 20), corporate champions, etc. are some of the possible methods of role model distinction and recognition. Of course, this distinction must be translated to tangible benefits to the candidates over the rest as determined by the organisation. 

Excite

Excitement creates energy. It fuels performance. Star performers easily get bored and demotivated if they do not see a meaning and purpose to their toil. Further they are easily turned off if they do not see themselves doing ‘big and better’ things in the future. They want to grow they want to be part of a success story. So excite them, stimulate them to look to the future. Do this by making them ‘part of the big picture’. Star performers have to be always kept abreast of the organisation’s performance and the expected trajectory. 

Most importantly the future – the planned journey and strategy to achieve these objectives. Whilst this is done these chosen or identified few must be shown their role in this future journey. How they can fit and what contributions and roles are expected from them to make these plans a reality. They must be made to understand that they are part of the future and create the excitement of being called to be partners in progress. Constant communication and meaningful engagement are essential. Constructive feedback – a must. Talk to them or lose them. 

Entice

Temptation and attraction are part of human nature. Persuading an employee to remain with the organisation by enticement is part of the positive reinforcement mechanism that can be employed with stars. This has to be through inviting and encouraging them to be part of the transformation process. Enticement, as said previously, is not generated monetarily as money is a common factor. Therefore, organisations must go beyond financial rewards. Some of the initiatives towards this end are assigning mentoring roles to the chosen stars! 

They can be formally appointed as mentors to juniors, their subordinates and newcomers in the onboarding and inducting process. Task (one the job) and development mentoring needs a specific framework with limitations and guidelines of operating and caution must be exercised to ensure that. Further mentoring would need some guidance or training/coaching by a practiced superior before they are empowered to do so. 

All this would be part of the fun. In addition, engaging these high performers to be part of cross functional project teams, invitee observers and participants at top management meetings (with specific roles to play), forming with them or absorbing to futuristic and/or problem solving ‘think tanks’ are some of the tangible measures of luring them to be actively engaged with the organisation. 

Entertain

Keeping your people ‘entertained’ is key to having a motivated workforce. Entertainment can be in many forms such as facilitating recreation, wellbeing, and welfare. Initiatives can be many. In the case of stars an organisation must go the extra mile in addition to the above. Their facilitated entertainment must encompass special recognition and reward. Here an organisation can assign engagements such as internal training and development facilitation, featuring the employees in intra company and public social media and other mass media publicity campaigns akin to corporate (employee) brand identity and ambassadorship. 

Moreover, special rewards such as temporary overseas assignments or internships for better exposure, introduction, and sponsorship to professional bodies/associations are helpful. Internally job enlargement and amalgamation where these high performers are given additional job roles and deliverables would charge their motivation further and they would be productively kept busy retaining their adrenalin flow and satisfying the inherent zest for action. 

Their contributions must be officially recognised and rewarded. Creating competition amongst the identified stars by way of challenges thrown, future opportunities highlighted are effective to generate self-satisfaction and drive. Financial rewards in the form of special bonusses, incentives can be introduced; however, the object of this paper is non-financial measures.

Educate

Provide the stars with all the learning they need and facilitate knowledge building. This is one of the most important aspects of managing and building high performers for succession. An objective training and development strategy must be in place with clear outcomes mapped. Training would entail enhancing on the job performance – exposing to best practices, better methodology expert mentoring and interaction which would include industry exposure and professional certification where necessary, to enhance performance in the current job. 

Parallelly a personal development plan (PDP) must be rolled out with specific milestones and measurements established. Development would entail key initiatives such as facilitating further/higher academic education, advanced professional learning. Care must be taken to establish a monitoring mechanism tied to real-time performance or bottom-line results emanating from the behavioural/performance changes expected through training and development outcomes. Keep them enriched with relevant knowledge.

 Evolve

Leadership and elevation to positions of authority is a journey of evolution and maturity if it is to be effective and accepted. Building successors to take up the reins of the organisation is therefore a very elaborate and strategic exercise. When managing stars, the evolutionary process must essentially ensure that their horizons or perceptions are widened, the view is wholistic, decision-making paradigms are knowledge based and emotional quotient (EQ) is high. A tall order indeed. Therefore, a long-term process. 

Even experienced professionals joining organisations would need to evolve with the organisation and be part of its fabric (if truth be told) if they are to be highly effective in the discharge of their duties. Therefore, it is incumbent on the organisation to facilitate this transformation from star performer to star performing future leader. Proven techniques or approaches include mentoring, coaching through the right people, focused advanced leadership and strategic management (global) learning within affordability, overseas postings or exposure if relevant. 

Another vital exercise is job rotation within the organisation so that the individuals appreciate every function of the organisation and varying job roles. It is imperative that formal knowledge and exposure is provided in people management and engagement. 

Do not attempt to micromanage stars – give them space, give them empowerment, and give them direction. Watch them grow.

The above ‘E-based’ approach is based on the psyche of human motivation. Taking Maslow (1943) as a basic guide, through this approach we are satisfying the social, esteem and self-actualising needs of our chosen human beings. What we are in effect facilitating is passion! The most powerful detonator of performance. Passion is way beyond productivity, motivation, and engagement. Passion is the spark within us which generates the vital extra discretionary effort, the will to win and the effort to stay on top.

Remember stars are extremely hot. Stars are fiery. Stars generate their own light. Stars emanate tons of energy. Be a star catcher not a mere stargazer. 

(The writer, a regular columnist, is a senior management professional, HRD practitioner and a corporate thought-provoker. He can be reached through: [email protected].)