"Most professionals believe they're high performers until they learn what separates truly exceptional talent from the rest. Deepali Vyas, an executive recruiter who has conducted over 50,000 interviews across boardrooms at top companies, believes most people drastically misunderstand where they actually stand in the corporate hierarchy-and that the real threat to organizational performance isn't who you'd expect. Vyas, who has over 300,000 followers on TikTok, posted a video this week that shares how leaders classify talent, revealing why some professionals thrive while others stagnate."
"An A-player, according to Vyas, wants pressure. They actively gravitate toward stretch goals, ambitious feedback cycles, and colleagues who make them sharper. They grow in high-stakes environments. B-players, by contrast, are driven by recognition and validation. They perform competently enough to earn praise while carefully avoiding situations that might expose gaps in their expertise. C-players, meanwhile, simply want safety and anonymity. They're less interested in advancement than in staying unnoticed."
Professionals fall into three motivation-driven performance tiers: A-players, B-players, and C-players. A-players seek challenge, pressure, and stretch goals, thrive on ambitious feedback cycles, and grow in high-stakes environments while admitting gaps in knowledge. B-players seek recognition and validation, perform competently but avoid situations that expose weaknesses, and can appear credible while limiting team potential. C-players prioritize safety, anonymity, and comfort, preferring to stay unnoticed rather than advance. Mid-level performers who seek credit pose a hidden organizational threat by blocking talent, slowing innovation, and lowering the performance ceiling.
Read at Fortune
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