How to Identify Your 80 Percent – Part 2
How to Identify Your Team's 80 Percent &
How You Can Empower Them
Part 2
The Top 10%:
Your organization's top ten percent are most likely already on your radar as well. This group will typically consist of your top performers, the “best of the best”, and the ones who try to make the organization better through leading initiatives, mentoring, coaching, etc. The top ten percenters are in tricky spots for someone in a leadership position. They're incredibly valuable assets to your company… and your competition. They're typically self-motivating, self-directing and proactive. When you look at your organization, the top ten percenters attract people to their personal brand and lead people with their ideas. They may be in leadership positions but they may not. They come in early and stay late, always going the extra mile.
Along with identifying and filtering the bottom ten percent, finding your top people and figuring out how to let them shine should also be a top priority. As a leader or manager, you have to find ways to keep your people on your team. You have to figure out why they do what they do so that you can help them achieve their goals and fulfill their why.
The reason this site is about empowering the eighty percent instead of the top ten percent is because your top performers typically have already empowered themselves. They're proactive, they're already working toward achieving their goals and they're already developing themselves. As a leader I believe that it's my job to focus their collective energies toward the benefit and success of the entire team.
The Middle 80%:
Your organization's middle eighty percent is everyone who remains, those not in the bottom and those not at the top. And just like with any bell-curve, this middle eighty percent can be divided into ten-eighty-ten as well. The middle eighty percent is made up of those individuals who are improving and those trying their best to perform at the level of excellence you've established. They too often come in early and stay late but they do so in order to get the job done and meet your expectations.
These are good people. This eighty percent is typically the heart and soul of your organization. They're our friends and neighbors. Their work keeps the lights on and pays the bills. They may not have the knack, ability or desire to lead the organization, but, as a whole, this group makes your organization what it is. As a group they're the largest part of your workforce, of your club or your organization and they cannot be ignored. The way you treat this part of your team, and the way they feel about you, is what makes up your organization's culture. Your eighty percent, and how they feel, is your culture.
The middle eighty percent is why I started this website and why I'm so passionate about empowering them. The pie graph above is an excellent visual of just how significant this group is to you, your team and your organization. If you can empower your eighty percent, I absolutely believe that you can revolutionize your business for the better.
Now that you know how to identify your organization's eighty percent, lets explore how you can empower them.