What High Performers Wish They
Could Say Outloud to Their Bosses
By: Annie Stefano, Head of Education at Growth Molecules™
Dear Customer Success and Executive Leaders,
As a high-performing team member, I am deeply invested in our team and the organization’s overall success and growth. In a demanding role that frequently calls for “above and beyond” contributions, high performers often face challenges unique to their situation. While my nature is to “always do my best,” I find that when it comes to being coached or led in my role, there are several overlooked areas that, if addressed, would not only benefit individual team members like me but would also fuel broader team and organizational success and ultimately keep team members like me here. Here are four focus areas I urge you to consider when it comes to leading and coaching team members who perform higher than the rest:
1. Support and Accountability, Not “Set it and Forget”
High performers are often held to an inherently higher bar, which is appropriate since I have set that standard for myself and displayed that consistently. What frequently happens is a “set it and forget it” mentality, assuming we can always manage on our own and do “just fine.” While people like me deliver results consistently and appreciate the autonomy of trust and space, we still need—and deserve—support and coaching that challenges us to reach even greater heights and results. The opposite is also true if we don’t perform at the highest level (let’s call this B+ work instead of A+ work – and what may be the average team member’s C+ work) on every single task, it’s noticed disproportionately in contrast to consistently lower-performing team members. Providing high-performing team members with consistent, meaningful coaching allows us to continue developing and prevents burnout from feeling we must “perform alone.” Not to mention, B+ work is not bad either – maybe we just had a bad day.
70% of all meetings keep team members from working and completing all their tasks if too informal, not purposeful
How to keep top performers: Ensure that even top performers receive regular, intentional coaching sessions. These sessions should focus on development goals, new skill-building, and safety that supports us in taking risks and challenging ourselves within our roles. If patterns emerge in the quality of work we are giving compared to our usual; chances are we are burnt out or have something personal getting in the way. Either way, empathy would be key.
2. Nurture Psychological Safety with Both Challenge and Support
Being a high performer shouldn’t exempt us from the feeling of support or psychological safety within our team or organization. Knowing that we’re allowed to challenge ourselves—sometimes, this might lead to temporary setbacks—is critical for innovation and personal growth. In environments where high performers feel they are only celebrated for flawless execution, the appetite for risk-taking diminishes, and they are now susceptible to burnout. It is what we see the most, particularly if we feel unsupported and isolated in our efforts. Psychological safety is essential for everyone, and we need to feel that so we can occasionally make mistakes without defining our all-time value.
Teams with high psychological safety see a 27% increase in productivity and a 76% higher engagement rate
How to Grow A-Players: Build an environment where high performers are encouraged to experiment, even if it means occasional missteps. Show that risk-taking and creative problem-solving are valued, and maintain an open door for support regardless of performance level.
3. Restore Trust by Removing Micromanagement
As high performers often work independently, small changes in behavior or performance tend to stand out and can trigger disproportionate responses within our team or leaders. While lower performance (i.e., B+ work) may appear unusual, micromanaging minor issues doesn’t enhance our effectiveness—it undermines it. We excel when we feel trusted and empowered. The more we are micromanaged, the more it signals a lack of faith in our abilities and diminishes our motivation to give back A+ work. It’s essential to remember that what got us to this level of performance was often self-driven, self-managed work and our integrity to provide it. Letting us operate with autonomy and mutual respect enables us to thrive and continue performing well. It fuels us!
High-trust companies report 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement, 29% more satisfaction with their lives, 40% less burnout.
How to Nurture: Show confidence in high performers by allowing space for independent work and reserving feedback for essential issues. Reiterate trust in our judgment and ensure that interventions are constructive, not controlling.
4. Encourage Development Beyond Our Immediate Roles
High performers often have broad ambitions and want to make impactful contributions beyond the immediate responsibilities of their current roles. It can be frustrating and demotivating to be boxed into one function when we have the capability and desire to make a greater impact. Quite frankly, we might have some professional growth to do or don’t know quite yet where our talents will make a stronger, more fulfilling impact.
Providing opportunities outside our regular duties (within reason) —whether through special projects, mentorship roles, or cross-functional initiatives—offers us avenues for growth and keeps us engaged. When we are given the chance to influence other areas, it helps us feel valued and allows the organization to leverage our full potential. We know that as a leader, this can tease a strong team member into leaving the current team or promotions within the organization, but don’t hold us back. Because of you and this opportunity, we can continue to make an impact.
A culture of recognition can reduce turnover costs at a 10,000-person organization with an already engaged workforce by up to $16.1 million dollars.
Leadership Role Growth Recommendation: Consider pathways for high performers to engage with cross-functional projects, stretch assignments, or even leadership opportunities outside the team. These experiences can foster fresh perspectives, stimulate motivation, and lead to meaningful contributions beyond the status quo.
Want to Build a Team of High Performers?
We try not to assume that because we’re high-performing, we don’t need the same level of guidance, care, and attention as other employees. We want to thrive! Overlooking our development, support, and autonomy needs can lead to disengagement and attrition. Psychological safety, consistent support, freedom from unnecessary oversight, and growth opportunities are essential for any team member to continue excelling—and for us to feel valued, and we will give value right back!
We don’t have all the answers, and I don’t think I do either (save those who do for a different blog). Still, with your help, we can use what we know, grow into more than our current role allows, and become an integral part of your leadership story and the organization’s success.
Thank you for considering these insights to cultivate an environment where high performers like me and others on your team can continue contributing to our fullest potential. With the proper key performance indicators to work towards (and over-achieve!) and support, our contributions will only continue to grow in impact, benefiting our growth, the organization, and, most importantly, our customers.
About the Author:
Annie Stefano is known for her passion and drive for client retention and the customer journey, upholding strong user adoption with a diverse portfolio of customers from SMB to Enterprise. Her expertise spans over 15 years in Customer Success, Customer Support, Implementation & Onboarding, Sales (Renewals, Expansions), and Professional Services for B2B SaaS companies. Annie has advanced experience building and customizing CRM structures, including Gainsight and ChurnZero, to align unique customer journeys and increase product fidelity. Stefano holds a Masters in Education Curriculum & Instruction.
About
Growth
Molecules
We are a management consulting & technology services firm that offers proven strategies, AI-driven workflows, & expert execution across the entire customer lifecycle journey. We offer integrated, scalable solutions for B2B technology companies to protect & grow their recurring revenue. We do that in three ways:
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- We Prescribe: We define new solutions.
- We Execute: We implement revenue impact.
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