Business owners, managers and leaders approach our team at The Greenhouse frequently about the people issues they have within their organizations. One of the most common questions they are commonly wondering as they analyze a team member is if they truly have a high-performance mindset personality. A true leader.
Often, they have a gut feeling maybe one way or the other, but they’re just not quite sure. Therefore, it’s difficult for them to make a decision regarding the future of that individual and their capability to effectively lead down the road.
So, how do you put an individual to the test to really see if they’re that individual that will take you and your team(s) to new heights? It’s not as difficult as you think, as high-performance individuals are a special breed and wired pretty uniquely. I can vouch for that, as I’m one of them! Therefore, if you’re still wondering if you actually have that next leader for your marketing department or that business development rep that’s going to absolutely crush it, there are a few basic traits to look for or test around that will tell you exactly who you’re dealing with.
Challenge and Failure Doesn’t Deter Them
High performers love challenges. They won’t back down from them, will work to overcome them and will do it with self-direction. They will purposely seek out difficult tasks and perceive them as yet another mountain to climb and scale on the way toward further growth and success. If they have hiccups along the way, they don’t see it as failure, but look in the mirror first to see what they can improve upon and become even more motivated by doing so. They look for the next option through or around barriers. High performers are constantly looking for process improvements and ways to do things better, whether it will be difficult to achieve or not. Whatever it is, they want it better, they want it fast and they want it now.
Wondering if you have a high performer? See if they’re deterred and who they look to when dealt with a difficult situation.
Accountability
One of my all-time favorite phrases: High performers don’t mind being held accountable. This is truest to the fullest extent in that high-performance personalities don’t mind lofty goals out there in front of them and metrics that track their performance. Let’s be honest, there’s some ego there, and feeding it a bit by putting their results out there pushes them. This is because they are competitive spirits and they want to WIN. Competition, be it intrinsic or extrinsic against others, feeds them and inspires them to achieve and produce.
Wondering if you have a high performer? Keep cranking up the ante and see how they respond. High performers find a way.
Give Them a Problem to Solve
High performers are fantastic problem solvers because they don’t see the problem. They see the possible solutions to the problem. They don’t live in the past. They see into the future because it’s what they do control and can change. When given a problem, they’ll begin troubleshooting to find a way to make it happen or to get it done. This gives them energy and positively feeds them. They find the resources to solve the problem and can get pretty creative in doing so.
Wondering if you have a high performer? Throw a challenging task at them and see how they react and attack it
They’re Goal-Focused
Ever met someone that isn’t really quite sure what they want or where they want to end up? They might be a hard-working person, but not necessarily what you’d call a high performer. High performance personalities have clarity on what they want and have outlined the steps needed to get there. They’re great at reverse engineering with the end in mind because they know that the most important step is the one right in front of them that aligns with their goals. High performers keep their goals in mind and at the forefront of everything they do. They have a destination and do everything in their power to get there.
Wondering if you have a high performer? Ask them about their future goals and see how much clarity they have around them.
Contact Us to set up a free meeting or call to see exactly how The Greenhouse can help grow your business and people to the next stage.