Are you a star at work? The ‘Prima Donna’? For years people have wondered what that star quality is, that sets ‘fast trackers’ apart. Few can tell you how to measure it, but almost everyone knows it when they see it. A lot of people chalk it up to raw intelligence. “Stars are smarter”, “stars are born leaders”, “stars are driven”, “they have the will to succeed”, “they're self-confident”, “they're self-motivated” - these are the lessons they teach you at B-schools. But experts beg to differ - they say it's not what people bring to the party that makes them a star - it's

what they do with what they bring.

   Most experienced leaders can recognise these attributes and are able to hire ‘star performers’. They also know that keeping them happy and engaged, is the real challenge.

 

 

Finding a ‘star performer’ can be tough, but retaining him/her is even tougher. “It’s hard to retain ‘high fliers’ in today’s ferociously competitive global talent market. How you hunt for the right talent, hire them before your competitor does and retain them is important,” says Vinda Chitnis, VP-HR, Geometric Software Solutions. Sydney Fernandes, commercial executive, Saatchi & Saatchi agrees, “Today’s is a knowledge-based economy. You need productive employees, irrespective of whether the economy is good or bad.”

  

The war for talent will always exist. “Everyone wants the brightest employees. Hence, the tug of war will always persist,” says Nikhil Vaidya, General Manager (HR

and Administration), Ashapura Group of Industries. “With the idea of succession planning gaining momentum, employers should distinguish their employees based on their job performance and future prospects for advancement. Each employee in an organisation is different from the other in terms of willingness to add value to his/her job profile outside the usual KRA,” says Radhika Balasubramanian, chief support officer, Intelenet Global Services. Rewarding ‘star performers’ holds out the message that better employee performance will result in better compensation.

 

 

Experts say that the only way to maintain productivity is to raise employee morale, which means retaining top performers by rewarding them at par with competitors. “High fliers possess an innate ability to demonstrate phenomenal abilities to an exceptional degree in terms of performance and their contribution towards achieving the bottomline,” says Chitnis. Compensation is the best way to communicate to employees that they’re a ‘cut above the rest’. But a major problem many organisations face is that these star employees may not have long-term interests in the company. Balasubramanian agrees, “High-fliers may experience saturation in the current job position and a feeling of being undervalued may creep in. If unchallenged in their current assignment, high-fliers will find their way to new organisations.”

 

Hence, in order to retain star performers, who are able to innovate, show initiative and constantly outperform their peers, it is imperative that organisations compensate and challenge them adequately.

 

 

Experts say that one of the disadvantages of compensation systems is that they fail to distinguish between the best and average performers. “A one-size-fits-all management approach doesn’t work today,” confirms Balasubramanian. Fernandes agrees, "An employer may be accused of personal favouritism. Rewarding top employees does not mean rewarding solely ‘high-level’ employees. It may lead to a depressed work environment. Workers in the junior and middle-levels can be high fliers as well.” Hence, it is imperative to differentiate between the two, as this will encourage average employees to strive for excellence.

 

 

Companies today are providing star performers with immense privileges in order to retain them. Geometric Software Solutions organises annual ‘Star performer’ and ‘Star team performer’ awards in order to retain high fliers and also to motivate average employees to strive for excellence.

  

Unfortunately, your most valued employees are also the ones most likely to suffer from a sense of job discontent. They are savvy, creative, self-propelled, and energetic. They need stimulating work, opportunities for personal challenge and growth, and a contributing stake in the organisation. If good workers find that the job with your company no longer provides these necessities, they may decide they

have outgrown the place and will consider leaving. It is imperative to figure out what will keep their innovative ideas flowing. Retaining your best employees is an art and once you have figured it out, you can help your 'star' performer reach for the moon!

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