The idea that anyone can be in the Top 25% is not some crazy AI-inspired new math.
Just ask any hiring manager what someone’s needs to do to be considered in their Top 25%, and you won't get a percentile. Nobody answers, "outperforms three-quarters of their peers."
Here’s one response.
A top 25% performer consistently delivers results that exceed expectations, not just meets them. They don't need constant direction. They solve problems before they become crises. They make everyone around them more effective, and if I lost them, replacing them would be difficult.
It turns out the Top 25% is a floor, not a ceiling. And when viewed that way, it's a floor most people can reach in the right job, with the right manager, and in the right situation.
Todd Rose, who wrote the End of Average, agrees. In his book he tells a story about how the Air Force had a problem in the late 1940’s: its planes kept crashing because the seats were designed to fit the "average pilot" based on measurements of thousands of airmen. But after measuring 4,063 pilots on ten body dimensions not one single pilot was average on all ten. The fix wasn't better pilots – it was adjustable seats.
Rose’s conclusion for hiring: there is no average person. People are jagged – exceptional on some dimensions, ordinary on others – and their performance is not a fixed property they carry from job to job. It is created, or destroyed, by context: the actual work, the manager, the team, the pace, the stretch.
So while what follows is a reasonable definition of the Top 25%, finding people who fit this “adjustable seat” requires a different way of thinking. “Moneyball for HR!” is the solution.
One Reasonable Definition of the Top 25%
- Delivers exceptional results. Regularly exceeds the performance objectives of the role. Produces higher quality work with fewer mistakes. Can be trusted with the toughest assignments.
- Learns faster and adapts quickly. Masters new tools, products, and processes quickly. Adapts when priorities change. Doesn't need to be told twice.
- Takes ownership. Acts like the business is theirs. Solves problems instead of escalating every issue. Makes decisions with good judgment.
- Makes the team stronger. Helps others succeed. Shares knowledge. Raises the performance of the entire group.
- Improves the business. Finds better ways to do things. Eliminates waste. Creates measurable improvements in productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, or profitability.
- Can handle bigger challenges. Performs well beyond today's job description. Is promotiable.
Define the Job and Situation Before Defining the Person
Finding people who meet this standard of excellence starts by defining the actual job, the actual situation, the actual resources, the actual team, the true corporate culture, the actual company politics, the intensity of the situation and the hiring manager’s leadership style.
And the process must be bi-directional. All of this must be revealed pre-hire if you want to achieve Top 25% performance post-hire. Given this, you need to source, screen, recruit, hire and manage people who fit this true description of the job. This used to be really hard, pre-AI. Now it’s not.
It all starts with this simple question when opening a new job requisition, “What does the person in this job need to do to be considered a Top 25% person?”
In turns out top 25% performers aren't defined by what they know. They're defined by what they accomplish and how they accomplish it.
