“The goal with young stars, of course, is to keep them focused on high-impact solo work. So companies should shield them from distracting tasks and red tape, perhaps with a dedicated support team or executive assistant to take care of the everyday work. Leaders should also give young stars a lot of leeway, giving them assignments that play to their strengths and aspirations, keeping them invigorated. And stars should get exclusive access to senior leadership as mentors.
At the same time, managers should prepare the young stars for the changes that will come later in their career. To that end, their compensation should deliver immediate rewards—such as performance bonuses tied to specific achievements—but they should also enjoy long-term rewards, such as equity grants vesting over time and personalized development opportunities like executive-education programs.
Later on, as stars get the urge to mentor, bosses should give them formal training and coaching for that role. They should collaborate with stars to figure out how the top performers want to transition to a leadership role.
Then, bosses should put stars alongside younger, high-potential employees, and reward them for both their own output and their positive impact on mentees’ performance and retention...“
Director, Career Services, University of Chicago, Booth School of Business / Keynote Speaker / Executive Coach / Leader / Motivator
2moGreat thoughts and insights, Bill! And yes!, magnificent things sure do happen when everyone is headed in the same direction!!