Why your A Team still needs leadership development
It’s a common assumption: if your top performers are already doing well, why invest time and money in their development, especially when budgets are tight, rather than focusing on those who still need to catch up?
But the truth is, even the most capable of leaders can get stuck, and need support to move forward.
Sometimes they hit a plateau. Sometimes they move so fast they don’t have space to reflect. Sometimes they just want to feel stretched again. In our experience, your top talent often needs leadership development because they’re good, not in spite of it.
They want to keep growing
High performers tend to be curious, ambitious, and committed to doing their best work. But if they don’t feel like they’re learning or moving forward, that energy can start to dip.
Research from Gartner found that 45% of high-potential employees say they’re not satisfied with their current career path. Many are considering leaving not because they’re unhappy but because they are ready for something more and can’t see a way to access it where they are.
The effect is significant if they leave
It’s no secret, our top performers often impact far more than what is contained in their job description. They can set the tone for others. They hold informal influence. They know how things really work. When they go, they leave gaps that aren’t easy to fill.
One study by The Harvard Business Review found that high performers are 400% more productive than average employees. So losing even one can leave a real dent in performance, and morale.
Signs your A Team might be stalling
High performers rarely shout when they feel stuck. But there are often subtle signals that they’re not being stretched:
- They’re delivering, but not driving new ideas
- They’ve become reactive rather than strategic
- They seem disengaged or low on energy
- They’re reluctant to delegate or grow others
- They’re achieving, but not evolving
If these signs look familiar it might well be time to re-invest in their growth.
The ripple effect of developing your A Team
Supporting top talent doesn’t just benefit the individual it raises the bar across the board. High performers often act as informal mentors and role models. When they’re energised and growing, they influence others to do the same.
And when they feel supported, they’re more likely to invest that same support in others, creating stronger, more resilient teams, developing your leadership pipeline further.
When you offer leadership development to top talent, you’re not just giving them tools, you’re giving them a signal: you matter here.
And that signal lands. LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report found that 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development. When people feel seen, stretched and supported, they’re far more likely to stay.
What does good leadership development look like at this level?
As we often say at Maier, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, but some approaches could look like:
- Peer-based learning that brings people together across the business working towards a common goal.
- Encouraging the value of reflective practice and fostering an environment where individuals and teams can engage in meaningful reflection.
- Providing opportunities for coaching support; focused on the individual’s strengths, goals and challenges
- Creating stretch opportunities that feel purposeful, not performative
In short
Your top talent still needs development. Not because they’re not good enough. But because they’re already making a difference, and with the right support they could have an even bigger impact.
And if you don’t invest in them? Someone else probably will.
From bespoke leadership development programmes to one-to-one coaching, we help organisations unlock the full potential of their top talent, get in touch to find out how we can help your A Team go even further.
