Flipping the 80:20 Rule of Business Leadership

Groom Your Superstars for Greatness!

A fifth of your team are superstars and one fifth are poor performers. And the rest keep your business rolling by doing a good job every day. So, as a leader, where do you spend your time? Isn’t it obvious? You spend your time on the poor performers. After all they are causing all the problems, affecting the other 80% and costing you money. And you give them almost all your attention; everyone else will take care of themselves. PeopleVision Director, Gina Nardone says Leaders need to flip their thinking. Invest your time in your superstars and watch them grow your business. Invest time in your good performers and they can turn into superstars.

Flipping the rule: Support your superstars

You know these people they are self-driven, love their job and are always looking for challenges. You can trust them and don’t need to check in, you just wish you could clone them! Encourage their attitude and the results they achieve. Give them opportunities to take ownership and show you what they are capable of. Challenge them. Your superstars will reward you by helping your business grow. Furthermore, they deserve your time, spend at least 40% of it helping them grow.

Flipping the rule: Encouraging your good performers

We have seen a large shift in businesses over the past 10 years toward wellbeing programs aimed to promote physical health. And this proactive approach has had a significant impact on work injury claims and the general health of workplaces. They say a healthy body starts with a healthy mind so awareness is key.

Don’t be afraid of the S word. Stress. We all face it at times and a little bit is good for us, a looming deadline can be a great motivator! It’s how you respond to stress that matters.
Empower your staff and reward their successes and let your staff show you what they are capable of.
Promote the social side of work: It’s is good for your health in general and your people are your most important resource. As a final tip, the more open you are about mental health and mental illness, the more open your staff will be.

If you are concerned about the growing cost to your business through mental illness, reach out to PeopleVision to learn how we can help you.

Flipping the rule: Managing your poor performers

When you focus majority of your time on managing poor performers it can have a reverse effect of cementing the behaviour within your business. Further, your poor performers need to know the minimum acceptable level and be given the tools to achieve it. But this doesn’t need to be time consuming.

When given the rights tools, coupled with knowledge and support, most poor performers quickly turn around to become good performers. The drive is even greater when the acknowledgement and rewards for good performers are seen. However, a small percentage will never move out of the poor performer category.

As a leader, your job is to help the person find a more appropriate role, which may or may not be within your business. Poor performers should be provided with opportunities, but only for 20% of your time.

Flipping the rule: The risk of not changing

Remember that your top 80% are aware that the poor performers exist. And if all your time is focussed on the poor performers, you risk alienating everyone else.

This can lead to frustration or even job dissatisfaction for your superstars and good performers.

As a final tip, take the time to observe your workforce and identify who your natural leaders are because your informal workplace structure is as important as the formal structure.

For further information, call us on +61 8 352 5415 or email us at enquiries@peoplevision.com.au