it’s been my experience that there’s a small group of special people in any population of workers, artists, supervisors, managers or professionals. These few people are special because they are the extraordinary performers. They don’t produce average or good results; they consistently deliver excellent results. These folks are few and far between. They are so rare, you can recognize them almost immediately when you meet them, work with them or hear about them.

We all recognize professional athletes who fall into this category. it’s easy to identify artists or chess masters who are at the top of their profession. The same holds true for the various groups of people you need to operate a business. They are the individuals who consistently deliver the very best results—the sales person who outsells everyone else on the sales team or the manager to whom you would give a critical assignment if the company’s future depended on that one job.

They are the top 3% when it comes to performance. No one completely understands what makes these high performers function so effectively; there’s no single personality trait, work habit or background that differentiates them from everybody else. The only thing different is they consistently perform at an A+ level.

Whenever I hear about or notice somebody who belongs to this group, I make it a point to meet them and get to know them. I keep track of where they are and what they’re doing. I contact them from time to time to ask for their advice on a challenge or opportunity I might be facing. If one of these people is ever looking for a job, I try to hire them. It doesn't matter if there’s an opening in our organization that’s suited for them at the time.