It can be a struggle for leaders to identify their key players, but once you are aware of who they are, it will be much easier to understand them. In the perfect world, we’d love to only hire the A players. Based on their interviews and resume, everyone personality seems to match our expectations. However, that may not be the case. Before regretting your hiring decision, you need to figure out how to bring out the best in this individual.

A Players

As the name explains, they are your A* performers. They are employees who put their professional lives ahead of their families and personal lives because they are striving to accomplish more or move upward in the organization. Regardless of the difficulty, the A players will take on any projects assigned to them. A players are the risk-takers, the “high potentials,” and employers enjoy finding and hiring them. These high performing individuals are not supposed to be caged (micro-managed); they need to know that you trust them. Else, they’re likely to leave the organization for opportunities elsewhere.

B Players

On the other hand, B players are competent and steady performers who balance their work and personal lives while still doing the bulk of the work of the company. They tend to stay put, does not require huge amounts of attention, and you can trust them to get the job done. Although these group of individuals tend to stay on with a company, it is still crucial to acknowledge their work and make them feel valued in the team.

C Players

Lastly, we have the C players are team members who doing the bare minimum to keep their job. They’re often deemed to not be achieving enough and will find them looking at the time and being the first to head home. These are also the people who are highly likely asked to move along.

Many employees who are initially an A or B group may in one point or another become C players for various reasons. Furthermore, it can get tricky trying to manage A and B players in the C group. However, it is always worthwhile to understand what lead them to lose their drive and passion. You may be surprised, some problems may be easily resolved by adjusting assignments, or introducing new corporate cultures such as organising team building activities. Surely, it takes time and effort to recognise your each group’s strengths and weaknesses, but it is a lifelong process to develop the skills that embrace personality traits. Through practice and learning you can understand yourself and your team better, which will inevitably make your work environment healthy and your business grow.