3 Characteristics of High-Performing People

As a small business owner, you are likely attracted to working with high-performing employees. Not only are they consistent, highly capable multi-taskers and confident team players, most of them possess the same entrepreneurial drive that prompted you to start your own venture.

These top employees are good for the bottom line. A growing company needs to stay lean, with productivity driven by high achievers who operate on all cylinders during the work day. (According to job recruitment site Monster.com, high performers are as much as 10 times more productive than their average-performing colleagues.)

These key contributors know what must be accomplished, set goals and then organize themselves accordingly to achieve these goals with efficiency.

Discerning the Extraordinary from the Ordinary

The typical workplace is made up of 60 percent average performers, 20 percent high performers and 20 percent poor performers (I’ll assume you know what to do about these underachievers, especially when their apathetic attitude puts a damper on everyone’s productivity).

Unlike average workers, who tend to do only what is expected of them, high performers usually know what it takes to get things done and constantly strive to improve.

Whether your team is made up of Jack-of-All Trades or more specialized staff, you want a healthy percentage of them to exhibit the following attributes.

You can rely on high performers to:

1. Take full responsibility for what comes across their desk. You won’t think twice about delegating to these self-starters because they will own the task they are given and rarely need monitoring. If they have questions or need additional support, they will take the initiative to get the resources they require to complete their assignment.
2. Be fully transparent. High performers are completely honest about what they can and cannot handle. You can trust them not to pretend to know what they’re doing just to cover up a lack of proficiency. They are confident and self-directed in their approach to work, so even if they don’t know the answer, they’ll surely have a way to find out.
3. Show they are constantly hungry. It is easier to develop an employee that wants to be developed, and high performers are standing at the front of the line when it comes to learning new things, seeking new information and seizing new opportunities. They are eager to take on new challenges that will help them to grow.

Strong Performers Motivate Everyone

It’s important to attract, identify and keep high performers on your team because they help create an environment of success. They love to help others, not to mention generate ideas that improve work procedures that in turn, enhance their own productivity.

High performers are determined to boldly do whatever it takes to succeed and in the end, that is a trait that everyone in the workplace should aspire to own.