I define derailment as: A previously high-performing employee is no longer working up to his/her potential.

How can we keep star performers from disengaging and derailing when there is competition for top talent and so much change occurring in organizations?

Perhaps you have an employee who previously volunteered for projects and was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, but now you are seeing signs of derailment.

Early signs might be:

• Arriving late or leaving early more often
• No longer volunteering for projects or community involvement activities
• Sitting in silence during staff meetings when they were previously a frequent contributor of ideas
• Doing “just enough” versus going beyond the requirements

If these early indicators go unseen, derailment can take on more noticeable forms. For example:

• Saying out loud to other employees, “Nothing will ever change here, so why bother trying to improve things.”
• Carrying on conversations that have an “us” (employee) versus “them” (management) spin
• Not completing work on time
• Making more mistakes at work

These behaviors not only affect the employee’s performance they also impact everyone the employee comes in contact with. Disengagement can be contagious so it’s important to take proactive steps quickly.

Why put time into keeping high-potential employees engaged?

There are some key points to think about when deciding how much time and effort to put into re-engaging a derailed high-potential employee:

• Studies show that less than 20% of employees are highly engaged and a similar number are completely disengaged. The rest are in the middle (moderately engaged) and can be pulled in either direction.
• Highly engaged employees provide a role model and inspire others. They are creative problem solvers and produce quality work. They tend to be proactive and advocates for change that ultimately benefit the organization.

Look for an upcoming post on how to get derailing employees back on track.