High, Medium, & Low Performers

High, Medium, and Low Performers: Why They Don’t Get Along

Here’s something that makes people uncomfortable but needs to be said: high performers will never get along with medium and low performers. Not because they’re mean. Not because they’re judgmental. But because they’re heading in different directions. And when people are heading in different directions, every interaction feels like friction instead of flow.

And I don’t like that this is true. But it is. And if you understand why, you can stop forcing situations that will never work.

The Pain of Pairing High Performers With Low Performers

Here’s what I know. There’s recently one of the top performing humans in our organization, like top, top, top. And not on purpose, but she got paired with somebody who is a bit of a mediocre performer, doesn’t like to work a lot of actual duration hours. We don’t really measure things by how many hours you work. We measure performance, but performance is kind of middle of the road. Hours are kind of small and reduced. There’s not a lot of performance there.

Anyway, like every three days, which is expected, so this isn’t a criticism, every three days the high performer is almost in tears, frustrated with the medium performer. And it’s not mean. I can see it on her face that it’s literally just that a high performer, whether it’s significance or certainty or simple pride in work or habitual or whatever it is, there’s a motivation there to do a good job. And the mediocre and low performers are affecting that.

So there’s a human need that the high performer has that the mediocre low performer is hurting. And the situation is never going to work. They’re never going to get along in that direction.

And I’m not saying that’s right. I’m not saying that we should advocate that. I’m just saying that’s literally how it’s going to be.

Here’s what happens. The high performer wants to execute at a high level. They care about the outcome. They take pride in the work. They’re driven by significance, by certainty, by doing things right. And when they’re paired with someone who doesn’t share that drive, it’s not just frustrating. It hurts. Because the low performer is blocking their ability to achieve what matters to them.

And the low performer isn’t necessarily a bad person. They might just have different priorities. They might want a different pace. They might be in a different season of life. But when you pair them with a high performer on the same task, you’re setting both of them up for failure.

The Rule of Flow: Segregation (Not as Punishment, but as Clarity)

So, you are probably more qualified than I am to figure out what to do about it. I mean, one of the rules of flow is segregation. I don’t like segregation from a, “Hey, we’re going to put mediocre performers in one group and high performers in another,” but I do know that you might have to split up those two types of people because they’re heading in different directions.

Meaning like, let’s say that you have a partner and a partner, any argument they have is worthwhile if they’re heading in the same direction. Any argument they have is a complete waste of time if they’re heading in separate directions. A high performer, mid performer, unless the mid performer wants to get better and just needs shoulder-to-shoulder training, they’re not heading in the same direction.

So all I’m trying to say is I don’t have answers to all three of the concepts here, but I do have an answer for the one: if you see a high-performing person not liking to be around a mid-performer or low-performing person, it’s pretty natural and it ties back to the four basic human needs.

Here’s the principle. Flow requires alignment. When two people are heading in the same direction, friction creates progress. They push each other. They challenge each other. They sharpen each other. But when two people are heading in different directions, friction creates frustration. Every interaction is a collision. Every conversation is a drain.

And the solution isn’t to force them together and hope they align. The solution is to separate them. Not as punishment. But as clarity. Let the high performers work together. Let the medium performers find their pace. And if someone wants to move from medium to high, give them shoulder-to-shoulder training and let them earn their way into the high-performing group.

Why Low Performers Attack High Performers

Okay, so let me talk about that, but the other thing is you are going to get a lot of anger and blame from mid-level performers and low performers against other people, especially the high performers and hatred because they don’t like how they feel around them. Like this is going to clear up a couple things and I hope it doesn’t come off wrong.

I have on my LinkedIn profile, I work with high-performing people who care about people. That’s me. And if somebody in the industry, and I don’t like this, so don’t think I like this, but if somebody in the industry is like, “I can’t, I can’t implement Lean, I’m not doing it, I just can’t do it,” there’s probably only a certain amount of time before that person just completely blocks me, stops listening to the podcast, stops listening to any of my content, and then after that starts criticizing me. It happens all the time and it’s because I make them feel bad. I make them feel like they’re not good enough. And I don’t like that.

Just so you know, I’m not proud of it. And I’ll tell you the same thing. When I’m around people that are doing something that I can’t do, I don’t like how I feel. It’s just a natural thing. And I’ve just been blessed with good circumstances. I’m not better than anybody in any way, shape, or form. I just have been blessed with golden spoon circumstances, honestly.

And there’s a lot of, you’ll see that with anybody who doesn’t like Elevate, doesn’t like me. I’ll give you an example. There are people that will be like, “Oh my gosh, I love this, oh my gosh, I’m listening to a podcast, I love Jason, blah, blah, blah.” Then we get together and they’re like, “Oh, I’m not doing well, I can’t do this,” or they don’t even try.

I remember one person came to an event and didn’t even try. Just hands in his pocket, just trying to BS all day long and not help, and then wanted something for nothing, and didn’t fit in with us. And we weren’t mad or mean, but it was like, “Hey, you know, we’re going to need more here.” And then that person got back to real life and tried to do some things that he was excited about and couldn’t do it. And then got to the point where it’s like, “Well, I’m sad.” And then got to a point where, “Okay, I’m going to give up.” And then got into a day job again. And then got to a point where it was like, “Oh, well, I actually, I’m great and everybody else is wrong.” Then got to a point where he started attacking me. And then got to a point where it was like, “Now this person defines their being by how small they could make me.”

And I never intended to make them feel small. So, I don’t know that it’s super useful to try and tear me down. So, then I distanced myself because I don’t hang around toxic people. And it all came about because that person, and this is the harshest way I can put it, so just bear with me and give me a little grace here, because that person couldn’t do it. And because that person was a sellout. And the only thing they could do to protect their own ego was to basically blame everybody else, their world, and their circumstances, and go back to the lazy toxic ways of doing things in the industry, and criticize those of us who are actually moving forward and trying to help.

And it happens all the time.

Here’s why this happens. Low performers feel inadequate around high performers. And instead of using that feeling as motivation to improve, they use it as justification to tear down. They can’t do what the high performer does. And that makes them feel small. So they protect their ego by attacking the high performer. They criticize. They mock. They blame. They say, “You’re not realistic. You don’t understand the real world. You’re too extreme.”

And it’s not about the high performer. It’s about the low performer protecting themselves from the pain of not measuring up.

The Lean Analogy: Not Everyone Is Ready for Space

So, you know, I was thinking the other day about Lean. Lean ain’t an easy deal. And this is a bad analogy because I respect both classes of people in here. It’s like if NASA was like, “Hey, let’s grab a bunch of farmers and let’s fly to space.” Well, they haven’t been trained for it. They’re not physically in shape for it. They’re not ready. It’s not fair to do that.

And so, we’re taking human beings in the industry that were taught to do lazy things, taught to do wrong things, taught to fit in with the status quo, and they were like, “Hey, let’s fly to space with Lean.” It’s just not going to work.

And most of the time there’s a group of people that I’m inspiring. But there’s also another group of people that I’m pissing off because they don’t like how they feel when I talk. And they don’t have the golden spoon circumstances that I had. So, I don’t exactly know what to do about it.

If somebody was like, “Jason, water down your message,” I’m never going to dumb down what I’m saying because I just feel like that would be inauthentic and disrespectful. But it does have consequences. So, I am always open to hearing what you have to say about that.

Here’s the truth. Not everyone is ready for Lean. Not because they’re bad people. But because they haven’t been trained for it. They haven’t developed the habits. They haven’t built the discipline. They haven’t experienced the systems. And if you try to force them into Lean before they’re ready, you’re setting them up to fail. And they’ll blame Lean. They’ll blame you. And they’ll go back to the old way and attack anyone who’s still trying.

And I don’t like that. But it’s reality. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

A Challenge for Leaders

Here’s what I want you to do this week. Look at your team. Are you pairing high performers with low performers and expecting it to work? If yes, stop. Separate them. Not as punishment. But as clarity. Let the high performers work together. Let them push each other. Let them execute at the level they’re capable of.

And if someone wants to move from medium to high, give them shoulder-to-shoulder training. Work with them. Invest in them. But don’t force the high performer to carry the low performer. It’s not fair to either of them.

And if you’re a high performer and you’re feeling frustrated working with someone who’s not heading in the same direction, know that it’s not you. It’s not them. It’s just that you’re heading in different directions. And that’s okay. Find your tribe. Work with people who share your drive. And let go of the guilt. As we say at Elevate, high performers and low performers don’t get along because they’re heading in different directions. Separate them. Train those who want to improve. And let the high performers fly.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why don’t high performers get along with low performers?

Because they’re heading in different directions. The high performer is driven by significance, pride in work, and doing things right. The low performer doesn’t share that drive. Every interaction feels like friction instead of flow. It’s not mean. It’s just misalignment.

Is it wrong to separate high performers from low performers?

No. Segregation isn’t punishment. It’s clarity. Flow requires alignment. When people are heading in different directions, friction creates frustration. When they’re heading in the same direction, friction creates progress. Separate them so both can thrive.

Why do low performers attack high performers?

Because they feel inadequate around them. And instead of using that feeling as motivation to improve, they protect their ego by tearing down. They can’t do what the high performer does, so they criticize, mock, and blame to avoid feeling small.

What if a medium performer wants to become a high performer?

Give them shoulder-to-shoulder training. Work with them. Invest in them. But make them earn their way into the high-performing group. Don’t force the high performer to carry them. Train them until they can keep up, then let them join.

Why isn’t everyone ready for Lean?

Because they haven’t been trained for it. They were taught lazy habits, wrong methods, and status quo thinking. Lean requires discipline, systems, and a growth mindset. If you force people into Lean before they’re ready, they’ll fail and blame Lean instead of their own lack of preparation.