In our later work with 3M, we added the requirement that the stars also had to receive a similar approval from customers. At both companies, we also took into account the number of awards, honors, and performance bonuses won, as well as patent or publication credits where applicable. These undisputed stars were the group we studied and the ones whose performance provided the research basis for this book. Our research team asked top executives, middle managers, brainpowered workers, and other researchers what makes the difference between star performers and middle performers. Our goal was to find out what made the stars so much more productive and valuable.
Stars are better problem solvers and more creative.
Stars are risk takers and mavericks. When the list was final, we had accumulated forty-five factors that managers and star performers close to the action believed led to star performance. We even added a few measures that weren't mentioned but that we thought were important, such as the worker's relationship with the boss, job satisfaction, and attitudes toward rewards. We did surveys and developed detailed individual case histories. We interviewed employees and the managers who hired them.