Leadership
High Achievers Are the Most Neglected Employees
Neglect, not pay, is driving top talent out the door.
Posted December 15, 2025 Reviewed by Gary Drevitch
Key points
- High achievers leave not for higher pay, but because their growth and development have stalled.
- Performance systems focus on fixing weakness, not accelerating excellence.
- When growth plateaus, disengagement and job searching begin.
- Growing high achievers is a strategic advantage, not a perk.
After the great resignation and quiet quitting, organizations are scrambling to retain top talent. They’re trying everything from increasing salaries and expanding perks to offering greater flexibility. Yet many companies are still losing the very people they can least afford to lose: their highest performers.
This is not primarily a compensation problem. It is a development problem.
Research consistently shows that high achievers are not leaving because of pay alone. They are leaving because they feel overlooked, underdeveloped, and taken for granted. Often, the reward for their good work is…more work.
What No One Talks About
Performance management systems are a standard in every large organization, where your performance is measured against expectations. Those who fall below expectations are quickly identified and supported with performance improvement plans, targeted training, regular feedback, milestones they need to achieve, and close managerial attention.
But what happens to employees who score at the top? Those who routinely exceed expectations?
They are often told, “Great job. Keep doing what you’re doing,” and are left alone until the next annual review.
The employees with the greatest capacity for growth receive the least intentional development.
This approach is counterproductive. Research on expertise and skill acquisition shows that individuals who are already performing at a high level are best positioned to benefit from stretch assignments, feedback, and deliberate practice.
Yet most organizations invest in resources where returns are lowest.
Why High Achievers Are More Likely to Leave
In my research for my book The Success Factor, and in interviews with Nobel Prize winners, elite athletes, astronauts, and senior executives, one theme surfaced repeatedly: High achievers are driven by growth, not comfort. This is underscored by decades of motivation research.
When high achievers stop learning, they disengage.
When they feel their development has plateaued, they begin scanning the environment for new challenges.
And when competitors offer opportunities to grow, they pay attention.
Organizations often confuse stability with satisfaction. In reality, stagnation is one of the strongest predictors of voluntary turnover among top talent.
The Hidden Cost of Neglecting High Performers
The business case is not subtle: Research has shown that high performers are up to 400% more productive than the average employee. In highly specialized fields, that gap can be even wider—up to 800 percent. In other words, the difference between an average performer and a high achiever is not incremental. It is exponential and we can no longer ignore the gap.
A struggling performer who improves modestly might increase their productivity by 10-15%. A high performer who is intentionally developed can drive significant results, create new value streams, elevate team performance and mentor others. They set the bar for excellence and encourage others to achieve it. Furthermore, they will turn into your best recruiters, as their friends are often high performers as well.
Yet most organizations allocate development resources as though these scenarios are equivalent. They are not.
High achievers create disproportionate impact. When they leave, organizations do not just lose an employee. They lose momentum, institutional knowledge, and often the informal leadership that holds teams together.
What Effective Leaders Do Differently
The solution does not require massive budgets, complex programs, or a reorganization. It just requires a shift in how leaders think about development.
Effective leaders approach their highest performers with the same intentionality they bring to performance improvement conversations.
Instead of assuming top performers are “fine,” ask specific questions about their future development: What skill do you want to develop next? What challenge would stretch you right now? What support or resources would help you grow further?
These conversations send clear and powerful signals that tell the high performer that their excellence is seen, their potential does not have a ceiling in this organization, and that here, growth matters.
For high achievers, this kind of investment often outweighs financial incentives.
The Bottom Line
The organizations that will thrive in the coming decade are not the ones with the largest budgets or flashiest perks. They are the ones that recognize that their highest performers are their greatest growth opportunity.
High achievers are not self-sustaining resources. They are growth-oriented individuals who need challenge, learning, and investment to remain engaged. The organizations which recognize the difference will have the best workforce.
When high performers are 400% more productive, neglecting their development is a strategic failure.
Your best people are not just worth keeping. They are worth growing.
