5 Rules of High Performers - bettHR · worked with thousands of employees and leaders as a senior...

5 Rules of High Performers

By Melissa Anzman | LaunchYourself.co

[email protected] www.LaunchYourself.co @mellymelanz

Hi Friend!

Don’t you want to feel valued? Get the recognition that you deserve? Make a significant impact in your

career? Not just live up to your potential, but smash through it?

If you said “yes,” to any of those questions, then you are in the right place. You are probably looking for

the reasons why you keep getting passed over for that promotion; not chosen for that awesome project;

or perhaps you don’t feel as though you are valued for your hard work and dedication.

I get it, and you’re not alone.

I want you to be seen as a High Performer by the right people. That’s why I started Launch Yourself – to

help you be in a career where your hard work + ambition are recognized and rewarded. I’ve dedicated

my business to helping people elevate their presence to be better than they are today.

I know that’s you.

Enter me, Melissa Anzman, from stage left. How do I know that you’re feeling this way? Because I’ve

worked with thousands of employees and leaders as a senior leader in Human Resources. And their

most common concern? How do I get noticed? How do I get to the next level? How do I make an even

bigger impact?

So now, I’m taking all of that knowledge compiled into 5 Rules that all High Performers I worked with

had in common, and I’m here to help you. You can live up to your potential and exceed your career

ambitions.

Ready? Let’s get started.

INTRODUCTION 2

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.launchyourself.co/

http://twitter.com/mellymelanz


Rule #1: They Say Yes…………………………………………………………… Rule #2: …But They aren’t “Yes Men” ……………………………………... Rule #3: They are Established Subject Matter Experts in at Least Two Things .……………………………………………………………………… Rule #4: They Charm the Pants-off their Clients …………………………. Rule #5: They Provide Solutions, Not Problems …………………........... Bonus ………………………………………………………………………………

WHAT’S AHEAD


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It seems like simple advice. Say yes when opportunities come your way. But this isn’t about

when the opportunity is already in front of you – it’s about saying yes before the

opportunity arises.

High Performers, let’s say HPs from here on out – k?, put themselves in position to take on

more. To be the person to pick up the slack, pitch in, get more work done. And it’s not

usually glamorous work.

You see, their approach works because when they are saying yes to duties outside of their

scope, they are building a rapport and relationships along the way. Don’t think I didn’t see

you roll your eyes when I said outside of scope – HPs never say things are above or below

their pay grade. They strategically decide what the action is valued at, then say yes.

Let’s use a basic example – going on a coffee run. Most of us get paid way too much have

intern flashbacks (that wasn’t just me, right?), and go through the annoying task of fetching

everyone’s latte’s. But HPs, if they are asked, they say yes. Why? Because they are providing

a positive touch point with the people who are getting coffee. They are fulfilling an

immediate need and doing so without fuss.

RULE #1: HIGH PERFORMERS SAY YES


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Granted, most requests aren’t as cut and dry as a coffee run, but you should start using the

same mentality when opportunities come your way.

Asked to take on an extra project – sure! Can you run a report – no problem. How about fill

in at a meeting – sounds great.

You are solving immediate needs and doing it without kicking up dirt. You are creating

positive impressions. You are connecting with the decision makers in a non-threatening

manner.

When they have a truly urgent need – say a highly visible project, they are going to want to

work with someone who is easy. Someone who is willing to tackle any issue – big or small,

and deliver.

So start saying yes.

RULE #1: HIGH PERFORMERS SAY YES


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Thought you were going to get out of bringing your own ideas, knowledge and wisdom to

the table and simply fly on someone else’s coattails? No sir-ee Bob.

HPs bring something to the table. To be recognized, you have to be known for something –

you have to have a point of view, an opinion, a knowledge base. You need to have your

ideas seen and heard. And sometimes that means saying the un-popular thing or pointing

out faulty logic.

Hey introverts – I hope you didn’t just check out. Trust me, as a fellow member in your club,

it’s easy to see rule two and say sayonara, but you don’t have to, and here’s why: It’s about

your delivery of that something.

You don’t have to be the instigator. In fact, I strongly suggest that you try to keep that word

association as far away from your name as possible. But you do have to ignite conversation

and thinking. That doesn’t mean to constantly point things out in meetings, or debate over

a teleconference. It means that you tackle situations appropriately.

RULE #2: …BUT THEY AREN’T “YES MEN”


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If you have the opportunity to bring something to the attention of the leader, do it privately

when possible. Present it in a way that has their best interest at heart and let them take the

credit.

Let them have a safe place and person, you, to bounce ideas off of or try out new theories.

Your leaders are desperately seeking truth from you, so deliver it and become a trusted

and valuable employee in their eyes.

RULE #2: …BUT THEY AREN’T “YES MEN”


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Becoming a Subject Matter Expert (SME) isn’t all that difficult. I mean, there are people who

say you can become great at something within a matter of hours. Notice I didn’t say “the

best,” or the “all knowing,” but simply, become the known expert for a few things.

I’m not going to lie and say that you as an employee is irreplaceable. You’re not – no one

really is. But the more value you add to an organization, the more opportunities you will

have down the road.

Let’s say, for example, that you have noticed a lot of IT visits on your floor at work. And the

questions seem to be easy fixes – I can’t figure out this function in Excel or how can I do that

in Word, and so on. That’s a potential SME opportunity. You don’t need to go back to

school, but I would be willing to bet that if you connected with the IT person who is

begrudgingly coming to your floor to help with simple fixes, he/she will be more than

thrilled to help you learn or know the most common calls.

Then learn how to fix them. Then start helping people when you hear groans of frustration.

Ok, so IT may not be your thing, my geek may be showing through, but there are thousands

of knowledge point opportunities available for you to excel at. I’ve run reports, created

dashboards, ran retention programs, was an expert firer (that’s another conversation, don’t

hold it against me).

RULE #3: THEY ARE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IN AT LEAST TWO THINGS


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My point is that you need to be known for things outside of being awesome at your job.

Just like saying yes, you will be creating touch points for rapport and relationship building

through these various solutions.

Start evaluating what you can add value to immediately, and grow your SME in those things.

Don’t believe me? Look around at the senior leaders in your organization – c-level suite

people. What do their backgrounds look like? Did they stay in one department, or have they

had stints across various functions?

Most likely they have sat in a few different functional areas – definitely sales, probably

marketing, and another specific area like R&D.

Leaders are experts in more than just one thing. It’s time you expanded your expertise as

well.

RULE #3: THEY ARE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IN AT LEAST TWO THINGS


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Did your mind just go to sleazy used car sales man mode? Don’t worry, I’m not saying you

have to be sleazy or salesy – and no, those two words don’t always go together.

Charming your customer is essential to get results. But you are thinking of charm

incorrectly. Charm here means to deliver tremendous value, anticipate their needs, and

communicate with them in a way that meets their preferences.

That’s a pretty big information nugget I just dropped.

My success with my clients has always revolved around this definition of charm. It’s creating

a “wow” moment with them and making their life easier than it is right now.

One of my favorite clients was someone who was viewed as very difficult to please. But we

got along like a house on fire because I was able to immediately determine what was

important to him. I never wasted his time with fluff, emails, or the “company line.” I was a

straight-shooter, delivered information in an easy to digest format, with all of the details he

needed.

He was charmed by me.

RULE #4: THEY CHARM THE PANTS-OFF THEIR CLIENTS


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I wasn’t a smiling woo-woo billboard, but he was still charmed. That’s what charming your

client and leaders means – becoming a high point in their day, not another issue to deal

with.

If you do nothing else, figure out immediately what is important to your manager and/or

other decision makers. And deliver that. Keep repeating that process for projects you are

working on, or cross-functional teams.

Find out what one nugget must happen to please the important person – then do it.

With that, you will be delivering charm in spades and viewed as a critical person on the

team.

RULE #4: THEY CHARM THE PANTS-OFF THEIR CLIENTS


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This is a rule that took me awhile to pin point. It’s not as obvious as some of the other rules.

It’s a subtle communication tactic, that most HPs I’ve worked with have in common.

When you see a problem, what’s your immediate reaction? Do you groan and get upset

with whoever dropped the ball? Maybe you pass the buck and blame someone else? Or

perhaps you go to your boss hoping they will fix it?

HPs don’t do any of the above. At least not publically – I’m convinced they groan, just

privately.

Instead, they evaluate the problem as a strategic opportunity to not be the bearer of bad

news, but to be the provider of a brilliant solution. They may not have the complete

solution worked out, but when they approach the issue, it’s from a place of how can I get

this to move forward.

“This project is stalled because Accounting wouldn’t give us headcount,” is what normal

people would say. An HP would say, “We’re stuck at this point because we don’t have the

headcount we’ve hoped for, but what if we borrowed Sally for two hours per week and

borrowed Suzy for two hours as well?”

RULE #5: THEY PROVIDE SOLUTIONS, NEVER PROBLEMS


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See how that little change in positioning, changes the entire conversation?

No finger pointing, no insurmountable obstacles, no giving up. Instead, they are starting the

conversation of how to troubleshoot the situation.

You become a partner in the situation, not just another negative nellie.

You become known as a problem solver, as a creative thinker, as someone who can tackle

anything – all signs of an HP.

RULE #5: THEY PROVIDE SOLUTIONS, NEVER PROBLEMS


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Many people default to their boss being the most influential person in their career path.

While in some cases that’s true, your boss alone is usually not the only person deciding on

High Performers. That decision and conversation is done as a team – usually the senior

leaders within a group and HR.

Understand who will have influence in the decision – then apply rules 1 – 5 to those

people.

Don’t want to go for the fences yet? No problem – start with your direct manager. Start

using these rules and see if his feedback changes; if you are getting more “face-time” with

him; and if your value in the company has increased. It will if you’re doing the steps above

properly.

Still not sure? Try them out with your circle of friends or your family members. You can shift

their perspective of you through these rules – just alter the situations to family-critical

items. Go on, I dare you.

BONUS – RULE #6: CLEARLY UNDERSTAND WHO ARE THE DECISION MAKERS


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Let’s recap the 5 Rules of High Performers:

1. They say yes

2. …But They aren’t “Yes Men”

3. They are Established Subject Matter Experts in at Least Two

Things

4. They Can Charm the Pants-off their Clients

5. They Provide Solutions, Not Problems

6. Bonus: Clearly Understand Who Are the Decision Makers

WHAT NOW?


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Now that you now the Rules, you need to start APPLYING them.

Start actively becoming known and seen as a High Performer, not just secretly

thinking you could be one.

If you liked this guide, I’d like you to do these two things:

1. Sign-up to receive even more advice, knowledge and strategies to help

launch your career to the next level here.

2. Send me an email at [email protected], letting me know what

you learned.

WHAT NOW?


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5 Rules of High Performers - bettHR · worked with thousands of employees and leaders as a senior...

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