Insight

We know what top talent looks like, so why are so few carrying the load?

Across 20+ sectors, 20 countries, and insights drawn from over 2,000 organisations, a consistent picture of top talent emerges. Whether in manufacturing, tech, financial services or public institutions, high performers show up in strikingly similar ways:

• They challenge the status quo
• They build broad networks across teams
• They remain composed under pressure
• They lead with clarity and make decisions that move things forward

We know what high-impact behaviour looks like, across leadership presence, innovation, accountability, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence and more.

The bigger question is: why are so few people consistently operating at this level?

In recent conversations with more than 250 senior leaders, a shared frustration surfaced:
“We have smart people. Capable people. But the load is being carried by too few.”
What those leaders are describing isn’t a lack of talent. It’s a lack of activation.

From competence to contribution

When we study top performers, we see a behavioural pattern: they don’t just have skills, they use them in ways that align with the strategy. They make confident decisions. They engage across functions. They anticipate, own, coach, influence.
But many capable people stay stuck in the middle zone, technically competent, but cautious. Helpful, but passive. Present, but not pushing. These are often the same people who feel they don’t have permission, clarity, or psychological safety to truly step up.
The cost? A small proportion of people carry the strategic load.
Energy drains. Burnout rises. Growth slows.

What the research and leaders are telling us

Multiple global studies reinforce what we’re seeing:

• McKinsey’s 2024 report found that strategic clarity and role modelling by leaders were the strongest enablers of high performance behaviour.
• Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace consistently shows that when employees clearly understand how their work contributes to strategy, engagement and discretionary effort increase.
• In our own cross-sector dialogues, eight out of 10 leaders admitted they don’t just need “more talent”, they need more people switched on.

And this isn’t just about high potential development. It’s about the conditions we create for people at every level to lead.

So how do we switch more people on?

Here’s what organisations are starting to do differently:

• Shift from competency models to behavioural activation. Focus less on what people know, more on how they show up.
• Make strategy visible and personal. Help people see where they fit and why it matters.
• Create permission and psychological safety. Encourage people to challenge, contribute and decide.
• Reward strategic behaviour, not just functional delivery. Highlight and model the behaviours you want more of.

Because what gets noticed gets repeated.

Final thought

We all tend to know what good looks like. The behaviours are not a mystery.
The opportunity, and challenge, is scaling that behaviour across the organisation, so the few don’t always carry the many. So energy and ownership aren’t concentrated, but distributed. So more people aren’t just doing their jobs, but doing them with clarity, confidence and contribution in mind.
That’s how we stop admiring the top performers, and start multiplying them.