How to become Star Performers

You dont get through the door of your organization unless youre smart. Your smartness
appears to fade away slowly and steadily as the days and months pass by resulting in
mediocrity. You are given a great designation at the time of joining but giving justice in
terms of results & achievements ultimately becomes your choice. You can either make
your designation extremely powerful by consistently taking right actions or insignificant
by maintaining status quo. Thus, in no way the organization has to be blamed. Just as the
country is known by its people, an organization is known by its employees on their pay
roll.
YOU DONT FIND STAR PERFORMERS; YOU DEVELOP THEM.
The difference between a moderate performer and a star performer seldom lies in their
innate abilities. The difference is usually found to involve the employees approach to the
job. It isnt enough to possess knowledge and expertise. Its what you do with the
knowledge and expertise that counts.
Star performance on a work-place team follows the same principles as star performance
on a cricket field. The Captain of the Cricket Team need not be one of the best batsman,
bowler or fielder, but he needs to do / achieve which the other members of his team is
unable to do. He needs to have or cultivate those innate abilities which will make him
indispensable. In other words, he not only has to accurately assess the strengths /
weaknesses of each player in his team but also be in a position to decimate his opponents
by playing his strategy correctly, methodically & systematically.
Star performers in the work place also need to know where to go for the cooperation,
support and expertise they need to do their jobs. Further they need to recognize the places
where their own knowledge and expertise can contribute to team results. Several studies
have identified the following 9 strategies that characterize star performers. All of them
without an exception are qualities that can be inculcated through a good corporate
education system.

Taking initiative. Accepting responsibility beyond your duties & responsibilities,

volunteering for additional activities, and promoting new ideas. Star performers
are intensely result oriented & volunteer for additional assignments. As a result,
they become the most valuable and respectable people in their organizations.
They continually prepare themselves for positions of higher authority &
responsibility in the future which make them indispensable.

Networking. This is one of the traits which the star performers exhibit
consistently in their place of work. They know the value of their subordinates,
colleagues, and bosses & get the best out of each & everyone to increase the
productivity of the organization. Star Performers make a habit of building and
maintaining a network of high-quality relationships throughout their lives, and as

a result, they accomplish vastly more than the person who goes home after the
closing hours.

Self management. Apart from being managers in their organizations, they see
themselves as self-employed. In other words, the star performers develop an
entrepreneur mentality, the mentality of highly independent, self-responsible, selfstarting individuals. Instead of waiting for things to happen, they make things
happen. They see themselves as the boss of their own life & see themselves as
self-employed no matter who signs their paychecks. They are the captains of their
ships & consistently make efforts to maneuver their vessels from turbulence to
safety by adhering to work ethics, time management, performance level & career
growth.

Teamwork effectiveness. Any work / task can be completed satisfactorily only

when people assume joint responsibility by working in groups, putting
coordinating efforts & accomplishing shared goals with others. Everything
involves relationships. Virtually all of your great successes in life will be
accompanied by great relationships with good people who help you and whom
you help in return. The star performers in their bid to give out their best associate
with people who have the mind & will to give out their best at all times.

Leadership. The star performer acts as a leader & does not get himself restricted
by being a manager. He is not only a leader who gives direction to his followers
during rough weather but he prepares & develops leaders for the future. The
amount of time which he consciously gives to each of these areas are: Leadership
19%, Communicating 38%, Creating 31% & Networking 12%. The star
performers understand that every activity undertaken in an organization does not
culminate into accomplishment.

Excellence. The star performers resolve themselves to be the best at whatever

they do. The believe in the maxim The quality of your life will be determined by
the depth of your commitment to excellence, no matter what your chosen field.
VINCE LOMBARDI. They decide to become excellent at whatever they do & in
order to become one they throw their whole heart into developing that skill which
they have identified. They work ceaselessly day after day, week after week, month
after month, year after year & this commitment alone makes them a star
performer.

Perspective. The star performer views his job in its larger context and also takes a
broader standpoint of the customer, manager & work team. These are the
individuals who relate their functions to the overall mission of the company.
When you compare the star performers with moderate / mediocre performers they
exhibit a complete control of tasks by learning every single detail about how to do
the assigned job better & better thus getting excellent rewards for excellent
performance.

Show & Tell. They present their ideas persuasively in written or oral form. These
are the kinds of managers who dont believe in knowledge storing but knowledge
sharing. Their clarity of thought / action / deliverables is remarkable. They always
seem to do everything right the first time every time. The reputation for speed &
dependability is unmatched as they are always in the mode of sense of urgency.

Organizational savvy. They navigate the ship of uncertainty extremely well by

tiding over the obstacles / difficulties which come their way like waves in the sea.
They adjust to any situation as they focus primarily on performance compared to
moderate performers who focus on impressing management. They believe in
developing strategies, describing the strategies & acting on those strategies to get
the required results for their company. They use their expertise, creativity &
insight into working with other professionals.

You can train people to do the mechanical tasks related to your business. But you cant
train them to seek excellence. You change that attitude through consistent input that
appeals to an individuals self interest & organizational spirit.
Success Rule of Star Performers: Your life only gets better when you get better. And
since there is no limit to how much better you can become, there is no limit to how much
better you can make your life.
The said article has been written by Iyer Subramanian of Bombay Chamber of Commerce
and Industry. E Mail: iyerpdkgnm@yahoo.com