The way you manage people in your team defines its culture. Your focus and attention help people thrive and grow, while lack of it hinders their progress. Ideally, you could give equal attention to every individual in the organisation. But in reality, your time is limited and very precious. You must choose carefully where to invest it.

Should you devote your limited time to elevating your top performers and setting a high bar for excellence? Or should you focus on supporting your low performers, ensuring no one is left behind?

The reality is that most managers focus most of their time on their low-performing employees. It’s fuelled by good intentions, though! We are empathetic creatures (well, most of us, anyway), and it’s a part of our nature to help those in need. It’s a good thing, right?

Yes, that’s true. However, it does consume a lot of your time, and there is not much time left for you to tend to other members of your team, including top performers.

Don’t neglect your rock stars

Many managers operate under the assumption that this is ok, as high performers are self-sufficient and require less attention. They believe these individuals are thriving and don’t need the same level of guidance or support as others. After all, they are already performing great, right? So what’s left here to do?

This notion is deeply flawed.

Your high performers are the driving force behind innovation, productivity, and excellence. They are the steam engine of your team. Leaving them on their own, without strong managerial support, is a gigantic waste of opportunity and can lead to their frustration, disengagement and, ultimately, loss.

Survival of the fittest or lifting all the boats

Helping underachievers or nurturing top performers. Truly a timeless dilemma.

It all depends on what you consider your priority. Your behaviour and your attention will shape the culture of your organisation, making this choice even more important.

Ruthless bar raisers

You put your 10x engineers in the centre of your attention. You invest your time helping them grow, keeping them challenged, removing obstacles and pushing them to be even better. To excel beyond limits. They receive praise for their exceptional work and are constantly challenged to achieve more. These top performers become role models and sources of inspiration for the entire organisation. Others are encouraged to push themselves to reach the same heights. Some of them will. With hard work, they will grow into top performers themselves.

However, not everyone will keep up. Some may fall behind despite having the potential to improve if they only received enough help. Unfortunately, your focus on the top performers means these individuals miss out on the support they need. They will stay in the low-performance zone.

Amazon, a well-known example of a ruthless top-performance culture, has an obligatory “unregretted attrition” process, where managers are expected to cut 5-10% of lowest performing employees with every yearly review.

Brutal? Yes, but needed.

In a culture of ruthless bar raisers, there’s no room for lagging behind. You either excel or exit. And yet, despite Amazon’s reputation as a tough place to work, people are still flocking to work there. Why? Because they know that this is the place that offers unparalleled opportunities for learning and growth. If you survive.

We leave no one behind

A different approach. An equity-driven management. You dedicate your time and attention to low performers. By working closely with them, you help them identify and overcome obstacles. You coach them, mentor them, and guide them in addressing their gaps.

It’s a challenging process, but it eventually yields results. Some individuals may not improve, but many will reach their target performance levels, showing significant progress. Additionally, some will reveal themselves as hidden gems who, with your support and guidance, will grow into top talents within the organisation.

I personally had a chance to work with people who were considered low performers in their previous teams. However, with the right support, guidance, and roles better suited to their strengths, they blossomed into top performers and invaluable contributors, earning praise company-wide. This has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my management career.

These hidden gems were either misplaced or just needed a bit of attention and help to shine. Without investing my time and effort, their talents would have been lost, and they would have never realised their true potential.

Nevertheless, hidden gems are rare. Most low-performers can reach the average performance level in a relatively short time but not much above that. Focusing on them will consume your time and might make your top performers feel neglected. They might grow resentful as others receive more attention and support while they are the ones driving the team forward.

High achievers are usually very ambitious. They want to grow. They want to learn. They want to be challenged and promoted. When you are busy uplifting underperformers, your 10x engineers’ needs are not met and they grow frustrated. Eventually, they may seek opportunities elsewhere where they feel more valued.

Which way, Manager?

You can try to balance your attention, but ultimately, you’ll have to decide who to prioritise and which approach will shape your organisation’s culture.

Which strategy is better? Where should you invest your precious time?

It depends.

As always.

Ultimately, the choice boils down to the culture you want to build in your organisation.

A culture where top performers are in the centre? Where they are serving as role models, pushing the boundaries. Where they thrive and grow, but others may burn out and drop out from the race.

Or do you prefer a more egalitarian culture? Where the focus is on helping those who struggle, ensuring no one is left behind, and providing support to uncover hidden talents? This may leave high achievers feeling underutilised, but it fosters a supportive environment where everyone knows they can grow.

It’s for you to decide, in which direction you want to go.

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