Develop Your "Star Performers" and Create a Strong Team of Leaders
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A Star Performer is someone who has a high level of both technical and non-technical skills and also understands how to tie the team's activities into business goals.
Chances are that the people on your team have a high level of technical skill. However, for them to advance and impact your organization, it is critical that they have excellent non-technical skills. These include the ability to communicate effectively, speak and present well, and listen to and work effectively with others. Fortunately, these skills can be learned...
Star performers are incredibly valuable both internally and externally:
Internally, they are Leaders - Star performers get excited by the thought of new initiatives not only for the technology aspect, but also for the business value they add. Rather than waiting to be told what to do, they seek out ways of making the organization better. They help make IT a group that leads the organization. You star performers also become your team leaders, both in an official management sense and also by leading their teams by example.
Externally, they serve as "Ambassadors" - IT initiatives need buy-in and acceptance from the business units. You can get things done by falling back on policy or by saying, "because we say so," but that is a recipe for long term disaster. Star performers can communicate effectively with the organization in a way that effectively raises and addresses their concerns. The communication can take the form of one on one conversations or group presentations. The rapport they build helps smooth the road for any future initiatives as well.
What Makes Someone a Star Performer?
Everyone on your team has a certain level of technical and non-technical skill. If you were to chart their skills on the following graph, they would each fall into one of four categories:
1) Business Leader (High Communication Skill, Low Technical Skill)
People with this combination are often the business liaison to the IT group. However, some IT teams do have people like this. Their lack of technical proficiency can create friction within the team when they make promises externally and demands internally without fully realizing the scope of what they are asking.
2) Weak Employee (Low Business Vision, Low Technical Skill)
Obviously, a weak link. These people must be trained, developed, or moved on. It seems obvious that these people will hold the team back, but for many reasons managers are unwilling or unable to deal with the issue effectively.
3) "Black Box" Employees (Low Business Vision, High Technical Skill)
This category makes up the bulk of IT groups. Give this person a task with specific instructions, and they will do a great job. Unfortunately, they often get so caught up in the technology they forget about the big picture. Or, their communication skills (or lack thereof) prevent them from connecting with internal and external customers. Some people are in this category and are happy to be there. This is not necessarily a problem; people who do their work well are valuable assets. However, to really move your group forward, every team needs to identify and develop...
4) Star Performers! (High Business Vision, High Technical Skill)
This is what you want. These are the people who can tie their IT activities into the business goals. They understand the big picture and are able to communicate effectively with everyone in the organization. They know how to work together effectively with others. The more of these people you have, the stronger your team will be, and the more likely you are to fulfill your vision of how the IT group should impact the organization.
Avish can help you identify and develop the star performers in your group. Whether it's one on one, working with a small group, or an ongoing process, Avish will work with your people to help them develop the strategies and tactics to truly be a star performer.
Contact us now to see how we can help you identify and develop your star performers