Nurture Your Stars to Shine Brighter and Longer
Meet Sarah. After seven years with her company since graduating from business school, she was the definition of a star: hardworking, adaptable, and a natural relationship-builder. Sarah consistently went above and beyond, gaining recognition, bonuses, and responsibilities. Her opinion was sought in every project, and her presence was felt in every meeting. She was indispensable.
But by year ten, something changed. Her peers started noticing delays in her responses, her boss saw her holding up decisions, and her team felt lost and uncertain. Outside work, her friendships were slipping, and it had been almost two years since she visited her family. Though Sarah's reputation was still strong, her performance and satisfaction had slumped.
I've seen stories like Sarah's too often—brilliant stars who shine brightly but eventually lose their spark. Often, companies assume these employees are ready for a change or have hit a plateau, leading to turnover or disengagement. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With foresight and investment, companies can retain and support their top talent to keep their stars engaged, productive, and happy for the long haul.
The underlying issue is that high performers, by virtue of being stars, often miss opportunities to develop critical skills they need to thrive in advanced roles. Here are three areas where your "stars" might struggle as they rise through the ranks:
1. Coaching vs. Advising: Many stars default to problem-solving instead of coaching, offering advice instead of helping their team discover solutions independently. While it may be rewarding for the star to have the "answers," this reliance creates bottlenecks, slowing team development and organizational progress.
2. Setting High Standards for "B-Players": High achievers are rarely managed for accountability, so they often lack experience holding others to high standards. This gap can lead to ineffective micromanagement, underwhelming feedback, and a demotivated team that misses the benefits of constructive accountability.
3. Prioritizing and Saying No: Stars are known for saying "yes," as everyone wants a piece of them. Over time, however, taking on everything becomes unsustainable. As they move into roles requiring both strategic oversight and tactical execution, stars can find themselves spread too thin, diminishing their impact.
Providing a professional coach for these leaders through transitions is a powerful way to support them, but it isn’t the only method. Leaders at all levels can help by guiding top talent to more intentionally move from individual contributor to broader organizational catalyst, ensuring they’re set up for sustainable success.
With a little investment, you can help your stars not only continue to shine but also become leaders who amplify the potential of everyone around them.