The other day, Phil Mickelson admitted to the press that the game of golf needs Tiger. I think that what the game of golf really needs to do is promote the other “Tigers” who are out there. When Michael Jordan retired from the NBA, the game still went on. And the NBA did not pin a single successor, but many successors that have taken basketball and the NBA to new heights.   (via mashable.com)

Think about how this applies to your department and your company. On one end of the spectrum, I believe in celebrating the “one” top performer… AND on the other end of the spectrum I’m a big believer in setting a standard of excellence… and then celebrating ALL performers who reach or exceed that standard.

I never thought of it this way until I had my own department to lead. I realized that I had my top producer… and I also had a lot of other people who worked hard and produced great results also. When I began celebrating their successes and also included those producers in important decisions… performance and team morale increased all the more!