12/05/2022

The Case for Supporting Non-star Talent

The bubbling-under talent will leave if they feel unappreciated

An interesting fact: Though there have been more than 20,000 professional Major League Baseball (MLB) players in history, only 268 players are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. That says something about how difficult it is to be a celebrated star player. But there is a different way to look at that factoid: Though only a small proportion of great talent gets recognized, there is significant good-to-great talent out there who are more than worthy who are playing the game.

And to shift this back to association-land, that bubbling-under talent may be feeling more frustrated than they ever have been, both in your association’s office and among your association’s members. In a recent article at MIT Sloan Management Review, a trio of scholars take a look at what’s been happening with what they call undervalued employees. In short: They’re increasingly frustrated with being seen as underrated. 

And increasingly, they have more options to pipe up about their accomplishments. Star performers, the researchers note, tend to make their talents obvious, and employers often work hard to retain those people. Now, thanks to more opportunities to show off their work through social media, newsletters, and elsewhere, undervalued employees can make a better case for themselves. And that can make it easier for them to jump ship. As the article’s authors write, the increase in options “could have a particular impact on strong yet previously less visible contributors—the unsung heroes and strong team players who may not be receiving significant recognition internally.”

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.