It’s not enough for someone to be a high performer. They have to want what you’re offering.

Over the years, I’ve heard a lot about “high performers” in organizations – how to identify them; how to develop them; how to nurture them, etc. I’ve been asked to coach high performers, or at least talk to a “hi-po” about coaching, and sometimes something fascinating happens: the person who I’ve been told is a stellar performer; a rising star; a person who could absolutely step up and take the reins and go all the way to the top of an organization, tells me: “No thanks.”

They don’t want to move up. They aren’t interested in the promotion, the assignment to a plum project, responsibility for a big client that’s being dangled in front of them. They just don’t want it. And that’s that on that.

The reasons why the high-potential employees I talk to don’t want whatever their organization is offering them are varied. I've talked to people who had relatives, spouses or children who were ill or disabled, and no one at work knew about it – they couldn’t take the promotion because they knew they couldn’t balance increased work and caregiving. Sometimes people have their own illnesses or disabilities they haven’t disclosed that they’re coping with. Some people have alternative plans – like the folks I talk to who are saving every penny they can to FIRE (achieve Financial Independence and Retire Early), and understandably, they don’t want to talk about that at work.

And, there are also the folks who look at their boss’ life, or the life their boss’ boss is living, and think – not for me. No thanks. Nuh-uh. I had someone tell me once “I would rather be a barista than travel 75% of the time and spend the rest of my life in meetings, working till 10 p.m. every night and working every weekend.” Because that’s what upper-management in this person’s organization did.

I have also had a lot of conversations with people who expressed frustration to me that it had taken so long for the organization to recognize that they were not just capable, they wanted to be promoted. They were beyond ready to move up, and had been considering other career options - including leaving the organization - because their talent and desire to perform at a higher level hadn’t been recognized.

The question then becomes, how do we have conversations with people who are good performers, and who we think have potential, but aren’t indicating interest in higher-level positions or opportunities? How should we frame conversations with employees, given what we know about their abilities, and what we can find out about their interest level?

This Talent Success matrix I developed is something I have shared with managers over the years to help them through developmental conversations with employees (which should be happening a minimum of once a year – every six months is better).

Regular developmental conversations, where managers and employees talk not just about performance but about the employees plans, hopes, and desires, assist organizations in many ways. I’ve seen succession plans blow up when assumptions made about high performers wanting to move into senior leadership prove to be incorrect. I’ve seen solid performers leave organizations – people who were considered, in Amazon parlance, “regrettable losses” – because no one asked them what they wanted to do in their career. I’ve also seen people who were incredibly frustrated because at one point, they had been in a situation where they couldn’t take a promotion, and then forever after it was assumed they NEVER wanted a promotion – and they very much did.

This matrix isn’t foolproof – there’s no substitute for just asking people direct questions about their plans (which, by the way, is absolutely allowed if you’re a manager or leader) – but if you’re going into performance-review season, and want some tips on structuring your conversations (or responding to questions from people about why they are, or are not, getting promoted!), hopefully this tool will help.

If you use this tool, I’d love to hear from you about how it works for you! Feel free to get in touch with me via email, or on LinkedIn.