Play to Strengths
If you have identified a superstar, you know what talents make him or her particularly strong. He is completely organized and can keep the rest of the team in line. She has brilliant ideas that need a support structure to implement them. Take those strengths and balance them out with the rest of the team, providing the superstar with the resources needed to succeed.
Defend the Weaknesses
Even superstars have faults. These may require a keener eye to identify, however, and might even be disguised. He sometimes underestimates time required to do tasks. She needs deadlines set explicitly to get things accomplished. Find a way to protect the team from the implications of these weaknesses. Utilize coaching on your part to help the individual grow and get better in those areas. Task a team member with filling in the holes (provide second guesses to his estimates, or provide her with reminders of the deadlines). Just don't let the weaknesses spread to the rest of the team.
Vary the Gameplan
Just like running the same play over and over can wear down a team and become predictable to their opponents, repeating the same process over and over again can become monotonous, dull, and outright life-sucking to the best, or worst, employees. Vary the approach from project to project. Swap responsibilities slightly between team members if they are capable. Use your power as the manager to guide and direct the team towards keeping fresh.
Focus the Skills
Resist the temptation to assign everything to the superstar. Likely in your mind, this will increase risk of failure on various projects. However, in reality, it should improve your chances of success. Your star player will still have a bandwidth cap, whether three projects or five or sixty-seven. Anything you assign above that cap will either not get done at all, or will diminish the quality of what gets done. Instead, spread the love around and keep your premier player focused on the areas where he or she adds the most direct benefit.
Relieve the Pressure
The burden of carrying a team can eventually bog down and burn out the performance of the strongest star player. You can relieve that pressure by hiring another superstar to share that load. Sometimes additional headcount is not a realistic option, though, so look at developing mentoring programs where your superstar can take a coworker under his or her wing and teach some of the unique skills to another.
Conclusion
If you stumble across a star player on your team, as a manager, you must maximize the opportunity for the team to take advantage of that person's strengths and weaknesses. This takes a careful balance of assigning activities and tasks around to other team members and making sure that you have recruited the appropriate skills to fill the positions around your star, as well as making sure that she or he has ample time to work. Difficult as it may be, the strategy will help maximize your team's performance and the star player's happiness.
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Image credit: skeeze via Pixabay
