Which Employees Do You Give Your Time and Attention To?

If you look around your office, you will most likely be able to categorize each of your employees into one of three types of performers: high-performing, mediocre, or low-performing.  

 As a leader, you probably spend a lot of time and energy on the bottom 30 percent, or the “low-performing employees,” to attempt to improve their performance. It is common that many of the rules and processes that leadership puts in place around the office are designed to support and keep the lower 30 percenters performing. When mediocre and top-performing employees notice this happening, they tend to lower their own standard of performance to fit what they believe is the “office standard.” Eventually, the top one-third of employees will become less effective or leave to find an organization with a more fulfilling and rewarding environment.  

According to The Law of Thirds, however, you should be focusing your attention on your company’s highest-performing employees. By rewarding the high performers, you are ultimately encouraging the mediocre and low-performing employees to work harder in order to gain attention.