Today is my wife Sherri's birthday.

I have been thinking about her all day.

Many days I do not think of her as much as I should, but that is not a bad thing. 

I do not think of her because I do not worry about her.  I don't worry about her leaving me, I don't worry about her cheating on me, and I don't worry about our relationship.  I know she will always do the right thing.

But does this make her feel unloved and ignored?

She is a true high performer.  She works, cooks, cleans, parents, volunteers, leads Sunday school, and so on and so on.  Like I said - a high performer.

But that does not mean I should take her for granted.

As a leader, who are the high performers in your workplace?

You know the ones I mean - they are always on time, do fantastic work, always say "yes", don't complain, trust and respect you, and so on and so on.

Do you take them for granted?

Don't forget that your high performers need to hear it from you.  They need to hear that you trust and respect and appreciate them.  They have egos that need to be fed just like anyone else.

Give them what they need, and they will continue to go into battle with you.

Take them for granted, and they will become disengaged faster than you can imagine.

Take some time this week to spend with your high performers.  Let them know how much you appreciate them.

...and to Sherri - I truly love you and appreciate you.

Happy birthday, sweetie!