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How to Manage a Superstar
By VICKY BROWN
So, you’ve got a superstar on your team. Congratulations – what could be the worry right? Michelle is smart, knows her area, can see and anticipate situations down the road. She’s analytical, detailed minded, and has a work ethic that can’t be beat.
Managing someone like her will be a piece of cake – right?
Well, of course, it’s not quite that easy. First of all, managing anyone – superstar or not – takes effort, insight and diligence. Just because she’s a superstar, that doesn’t mean you can slack on your management. In fact, it may really put you through your paces to make sure Michelle is engaged, challenged and doing her best work.
So, in that spirit – here are a few tips you need to think about when you are lucky enough to have a superstar on your team.
First up – treat everyone with the same respect, attention and trust.
Listen, I know it’s only human nature to be drawn to Michelle – she doesn’t complain, she fixes what is wrong in your world, she can identify the job that needs doing, and get it done – near perfectly, every time. Well, of course you like her, of course you’re drawn to her, of course it’s easy to want to give her perks and special opportunities.
But you have to keep your leadership hat firmly on your head. You aren’t just leading Michelle, there’s a whole team of people looking to you for management, guidance and leadership. And while they may not be the shining star, they’re probably pretty darn good, they bring value – and they deserve your attention.
So when a plum assignment comes up, don’t automatically think “Ok I’ll give this to Michelle”. Carefully consider who else might be a good fit, who else could use that development opportunity.
And because all this can happen so easily on a subconscious level, I’m an advocate for keeping track of what projects or assignments you give to whom. Write it down. You might be surprised. You may think you’re dolling things out fairly, but when you write it down, that list might tell a different story. Believe me, there’s nothing like a list to help keep you honest.
“…a pro tip here; one of the huge traps that we leaders fall into is hoarding talent. Michelle is outstanding at her job, so I want her doing that job for me until the end of time. Sorry – it’s just not going to happen“
Alright – the next one is related to the first – don’t burn out your superstar.
When Michelle becomes you ‘go to’, it’s really easy for you to overload her. And being the high octane performer that she is – she probably wouldn’t even think of raising her hand and saying ‘my plate is getting full’. Nope, she will just try to barrel through – and end up exhausted, burnt out, and unproductive.
Again, the list will help you here. But you also have to keep your antenna high – stay in touch, check in, keep on top of how Michelle is doing and her workload. A little bit of early prevention goes a long way to avoid a bad situation later.
Now this assignment thing can be really complex, because you don’t want to burn her out, and you want to spread the love around the whole team, but at the same time, you want to keep Michelle engaged and challenged.
So, you have to give just enough, but not too much; challenge her, but don’t make her your constant ‘go to’ player, recognize her value and contribution, but acknowledge the value of the other team members as well.
See, it really takes some solid leadership muscle to do this all well.
OK – next is feedback. You’ve got to be consistent with feedback. Oh, I don’t mean telling her how wonderful she is all the time – no, you have to give meaningful feedback. When things come up that need correcting, correct her (as you should with all your team members). And on the flip side, yes – don’t be shy to tell her what a great job she is doing – just not every minute of every day. Trust me – if you do that – you’ll create a monster that will be difficult to control. Again – it’s just human nature.
One of the best things you can do is to put Michelle in situations where she is surrounded by people she can learn from. Think ahead – what career path makes sense.
So, one of your employees just told you that she’s pregnant. Feeling overwhelmed, with no idea where to start? After all, HR just got dumped on your plate. It’s not your zone of genius, and you don’t want it to be.
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BTW – a pro tip here; one of the huge traps that we leaders fall into is hoarding talent. Michelle is outstanding at her job, so I want her doing that job for me until the end of time.
Sorry – it’s just not going to happen. At some point (probably sooner than makes you comfortable) Michelle will be ready for the next thing – and that next thing may, or may not be at your company. You’ve got to put her career opportunity ahead of your panic that you could lose her.
Now, I’m not saying don’t do everything you can to try to keep her – but be aware that you may not be able to give her the next right thing. So, if she’s ready to spread her wings beyond your company – the only right thing to do is to wish her well.
Having said that – you might find that when you really put your mind to it, you may come up with some creative opportunities that will keep Michelle engaged, and at your company.
I actually have a couple of secret weapons that are almost foolproof.
1 – give your superstar autonomy – don’t micromanage her. Give her the space, and tools to succeed.
Stay connected, and be attuned to what’s going on and how she’s doing – but don’t smother or hover.
and 2 – give your superstar an opportunity to teach others. Believe me, nothing is more challenging that teaching someone something. Now, keep in mind, you have to be careful with this – you don’t want to set up a dynamic where the rest of the team becomes resentful “Michelle knows everything, just ask her”
In fact, you should give other team members an opportunity to teach as well. It really can work wonders – it engages the teacher and learner, forces the teacher to not only confirm their knowledge (as in, are you sure that you know what you think you know), and makes them mentally go to where the learner is so they can successfully learn the material.
I really love those two, autonomy and teaching – it’s a one two punch that rarely fails.
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