Document Detail


How to keep A players productive.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  16967624     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
After graduating from Harvard Business School with highest honors, Jane rapidly moved up the corporate ladder at a large advertising firm, racking up promotions and responsibilities along the way. By the time she became the company's creative director, she was, in everyone's estimation, an A player--one of the organization's most gifted and productive employees. But although she received an extraordinarily generous pay package and had what some people considered to be one of the most stimulating jobs in the company, Jane felt underappreciated and was talking to head-hunters. Eventually, she was lured away to a competing company that, by her own admission, offered less-challenging work. Both Jane and the advertising firm she left behind lost out. Of course, not all A players are as vulnerable as Jane. Some superstars soar to stunning heights, needing little or no special attention, and have the natural self-confidence and brilliance to stay at the top of their game with elegance and grace. But as every manager knows, megastars with manageable egos are rare. Far more common are people like Jane who are striving to satisfy an inner need for recognition that is often a sign of irrationally low self-esteem. According to the author--an executive coach, management consultant, and former faculty member of the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School--if you do not carefully manage the often unconscious need A players have for kudos and appreciation, they will burn out in a way that is damaging to them and unproductive for you. The key is understanding what makes your A players tick. The author suggests that you assist your stars by offering them authentic praise, helping them set boundaries, and teaching them to play nicely with subordinates. In the process, you can turn these high performers into even more effective players.
Authors:
Steven Berglas
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Harvard business review     Volume:  84     ISSN:  0017-8012     ISO Abbreviation:  Harv Bus Rev     Publication Date:  2006 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2006-09-13     Completed Date:  2006-10-12     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9875796     Medline TA:  Harv Bus Rev     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  104-12, 157     Citation Subset:  H    
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, USA. drb@berglas.com
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Humans
Motivation*
Personnel Management / methods*
United States

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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