Which member of your team is the one with the ‘high performer’ reputation? I’m guessing the answer comes to you almost automatically. Most teams have at least one. 

Sometimes we find the high performer’s standard drops. 

We find ourselves surprised.  Usually we ask “What happened to them?” 

I think that the “surprised” reaction is worth pausing to consider. The high performer reputation is established by how well a person’s strengths, commitment and role are aligned at a given point in time. And it gets carried long after that original fit has shifted. 

As the role expands, the high performer invests greater effort to cover the gap - until someone notices or the effort is no longer sufficient. Conversely they may have outgrown the role and performance drops. The visible outcome may be the same but the underlying cause isn’t.

So, how do you know whether your organisation is making best use of the capabilities across your team?