How to Manage Unhappy High Achievers

Leila gives tips to managers on how to manage certain hard to deal with employees who use to be one of the best.

Has one of your top performing employees ever become short-tempered and hard to deal with? Someone who has been star player for years? You can't afford to ignore this behavior, so come on managers, let’s talk about unhappy high achievers. How do we sustain high performance in ourselves and our direct rapports? Research from the book “The High Achiever's Guide to Happiness,” states that the vast majority over 90% of top achievers are unhappy in one way or another. As managers, what can we do to address this challenge? Here's how to start. Number one; gather details by observing patterns of behavior We all have bad days, even bad weeks. If you suspect a stellar employee is losing his enthusiasm for his role, collect several examples; ones you've observed and ones other employees have shared. You need facts before you tackle this awkward, fuzzy and somewhat subjective situation. Number two; call out the behavior and its end results When you have many examples and see a pattern, you need to speak to the employee and explain what you've noticed and how the behavior is negatively affecting team productivity, customer retention or revenue generation. It's crucial you speak to the consequences of the employee's conduct. You can start the conversation like this, “Angela, I've noticed in the last few months that your enthusiasm for your work—your drive to exceed goals isn't as evident as it has been in the past.” Number three; share ideas and make suggestions, not recommendations. Once the employee acknowledges that “yes, she's frustrated and unhappy.” The first thing you must do is listen to what she has to say. She’s traditionally been a high achiever and you don't want her to leave the organization without trying to find a solution. Once you've heard her out, ask what you can do to help. Ask specific questions about resources, barriers and opportunities. For example; “What do you need from me or others that would increase your engagement?” Or “What is it or who is in the way at work?” And “Tell me about the projects and people you wish to work with.” Now, if these conversations don't improve the situation and if the behavior persists and business continues to suffer, you need to move delicately. You may want to broach the topic that if the employee isn't happy, she has a choice to make about whether to stay or not at the company. Tread carefully. Suggest, don't recommend. For example, say something like “Angela, I want you to be happy and like your work. And I want this company and our team to succeed. Now, if what you want isn't here, can you envisage it somewhere else?” For more information, go to BNET.com.