One of the problems is in definitions of superior performance. But, even on a sports team not every number one draft pick makes it in the pros, let alone becomes one of the superior performers. You can't benchmark superior performance if your top performers are average compared to the top team in your industry. Another common mistake is that guidelines for selecting and ranking the top performers have not been well-defined. For example, sales statistics have been erroneously used to rank performance.
Many organizations hire for skills and fire for attitude .
Our own biases about skills and knowledge keep us from understanding what the job would say about what is required for superior performance. If skills and knowledge always lead to superior performance, every nurse, medical doctor, lawyer, engineer, CPA, or any person who has passed a certification exam would produce superior performance. Perhaps the reason so much emphasis is placed on skills and knowledge is because they are the easiest components of performance to define. Many organizations hire for skills and fire for attitude. Our biases inevitably keep us from listening objectively to the voice of the job.