A couple of months ago, during one of my workshops, a young somber looking female participant asked me if she could have a few minutes of my time at the end of the day's session to discuss something that she needs advice on. In the end, 'a few minutes' turned into a solid 45 minutes and only hunger made me cut the conversation short. Part 2 of the conversation took place the next day for another 30 minutes and this time my rush to the airport cut the conversation short.
To keep a long story short (I am sure you will find this story familiar) this young and highly educated and 'decorated' women had a lost all 'connections with the company'. In the 3.5 years that she had been there, she had consistently won awards and commendations for excellence in performance.
And yet, she had lost the engagement that she once had to the company. The reasons for this are many; which I will not disclose here to protect confidentiality. But, what I do want to say is that: Her manager had no idea whatsoever on this dramatic and potentially disastrous change in behavior. This manager had no idea that this Star performer was no longer engaged to the company.
2 days ago, she emailed to say that she had left and joined a competitor.
Moral of the story: Your star performers need as much caring and nurturing as your mediocre performers. Remember that 80% of your results are produced by 20% of your employees. Invest your time and effort wisely.
