Power tip: "Where to focus for team growth," Dr Mike Ashby
"Move the middle. They are your biggest opportunity for progress."
Transcript
Dr Mike Ashby: Developing your team isn't a one size fits all approach. It's about knowing where to focus. Your job is to shape a development path that presents the opportunity for people to make progress for themselves. Here's how I do that.
Number one, you start with your stars, your top performers. They're going to thrive on autonomy. They don't want micromanagement. Challenge them with high impact opportunities and let them develop their own growth path.
The second thing is to limit your time with the low performers, the bottom 20%. They're not going to change much. Focus on minimising their impact. Don't let them create drag. Make sure they get their job done, and then they go home. Reallocate your time and energy to where it's going to deliver the most value.
And that's the middle. So that's the third thing. If you can move the middle, they are your biggest opportunity for progress. If you can take them from good to even better by stretching their skills with new challenges and providing constant feedback, you can build some real momentum.
Thinking about the S-curve, growth follows this kind of S-curve. Beginners need structure. Intermediates thrive with balance. And experts need fresh challenges. Adapt your approach to each stage to help the whole team keep moving forward.
Try this today. Ask a top performer how you can support their career path. For a middle performer, set a task that's just beyond their comfort zone, and then offer clear, actionable feedback about how they might get there.
Small, deliberate actions drive lasting progress. Let's get to work.
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