Managing High Performers: Setting Performance Expectations in IT
- Tina Marie Baugh
- 19 hours ago
- 4 min read
Every IT manager knows the feeling: you’ve got one team member who finishes everything a week before the deadline, solves problems no one else can touch, and seems to always be three steps ahead. They’re your superstar. Meanwhile, you’ve got others in the same role who are solid but not shining at that level.
Here’s the trap: too often, managers assume the high performer doesn’t need expectations set. “They’re doing great — why get in their way?” But skipping expectations is a mistake. Not only does it create uneven standards across your team, it also robs your high performer of clarity, stretch goals, and a clear path to their next step.
Whether someone is succeeding or “knocking it out of the park,” everyone deserves clarity on what success looks like.
The Problem: Pass/Fail Isn’t Enough
Most IT teams define success as binary: you’re either meeting expectations or you’re not. That’s simple, but it’s lazy management.
Why? Because your high performers get stuck. They don’t see what “better” looks like. They don’t know how to prepare for promotion. And over time, that superstar energy can fade into disengagement.
As a manager, it’s your job to set tiered expectations that show what success, strong success, and exceptional success look like.
The Three Levels of Performance of Managing High Performers
When defining expectations, think in terms of three levels:
Succeeding – Meeting the role requirements. Solid, dependable, and consistent.
Substantially Exceeding Expectations – Going beyond the baseline. Delivering more impact, often faster, and with less oversight.
Knocking It Out of the Park – Driving exceptional value. Innovating, mentoring others, and influencing outcomes at a broader scale.
These levels aren’t about favoritism. They’re about giving everyone — including your rock stars — a map of how to keep growing.
Step 1: Identify the 5–7 Critical Metrics for the Role
Start by asking: What are the non-negotiables for this position? Every role has a handful of critical metrics that define success. Document them. Be clear. Share them with your team.
For IT roles, examples might include:
Ticket resolution and first-contact success rate (Help Desk Analyst)
System uptime and incident response (Systems Engineer)
On-time delivery and stakeholder satisfaction (Project Manager)
These become your anchors.
Step 2: Define What Each Level Looks Like
Once you’ve identified the key metrics, spell out what “succeeding,” “substantially exceeding,” and “knocking it out of the park” mean in real terms.
Here’s what that might look like with real IT examples:
Example 1: Help Desk Analyst
Succeeding – Resolves 10–15 tickets per day with 70% first-contact resolution. Communicates updates clearly with end users.
Substantially Exceeding Expectations – Resolves 15–20 tickets daily with 80% first-contact resolution. Anticipates common issues and shares proactive tips with the team.
Knocking It Out of the Park – Consistently resolves 20+ tickets with 85% first-contact resolution. Mentors newer analysts, writes knowledge base articles, and reduces call volume through proactive solutions.
I often put these in a chart like the one below to make it easy to see the difference between the levels and to have conversations about performance.
Succeeding | Substantially Exceeding | Out of the Park |
Resolves 10–15 tickets per day with 70% first-contact resolution. | Resolves 15–20 tickets daily with 80% first-contact resolution. | Consistently resolves 20+ tickets with 85% first-contact resolution. |
Communicates updates clearly with end users. | Anticipates common issues and shares proactive tips with the team. | Mentors newer analysts. |
Writes knowledge base articles. | ||
Reduces call volume through proactive solutions. |
Example 2: Systems Engineer
Succeeding – Responds to incidents within SLA. Executes routine patches and upgrades on schedule. Completed assign project tasks within schedule.
Substantially Exceeding Expectations – Ensures 99.5% uptime on assigned systems. Responds to incidents faster than SLA. Suggests and implements process improvements.
Knocking It Out of the Park – Strives to improve systems to 99.9% uptime. Anticipates system risks and designs solutions before issues occur. Leads cross-team efforts to modernize infrastructure and influence architectural direction. Mentors newer team members.
Example 3: Project Manager
Succeeding – Delivers projects on time and within scope. Maintains clear communication with stakeholders. Tracks risks and issues effectively using approved tools.
Substantially Exceeding Expectations – Consistently delivers projects ahead of schedule or under budget. Anticipates risks early and adjusts course with minimal disruption. Stakeholders actively praise communication.
Knocking It Out of the Park – Delivers complex, high-visibility projects with outstanding results. Builds strong cross-functional alignment. Mentors other PMs and drives adoption of best practices across the organization.
Step 3: Document and Partner
Here’s the key: don’t just define this in your head. Write it down. Share it with your team member. Walk through each level together and ask for their input.
And here’s where many managers miss an opportunity — adjust the expectations based on what you hear. Your team member may see blind spots, suggest better stretch goals, or highlight challenges you hadn’t considered. Incorporating their perspective doesn’t weaken the standard; it strengthens buy-in.
This makes performance expectations a partnership, not a surprise. Your team member sees the roadmap, understands how to hit the next level, and feels motivated rather than micromanaged.
Step 4: Review and Refresh
Performance expectations aren’t “set it and forget it.” Review them at least quarterly. Talk about where your team member is landing on the scale. Celebrate wins. Identify the next stretch. Adjust as the role or business needs evolve.
Your high performers, in particular, will appreciate knowing exactly how they’re doing — and what it takes to prepare for promotion.
Why Managing High Performers with Clear Expectations Matters
When you create tiered performance expectations:
Fairness – Everyone in the same role is held to the same clear standards.
Motivation – High performers stay engaged because they see the path forward.
Clarity – Come review time, you can clearly explain why one person is “succeeding” and another is “knocking it out of the park.”
In IT, where burnout and disengagement are constant risks, this approach keeps your team challenged, valued, and growing.
Final Word
Managing a high performer doesn’t mean leaving them alone. It means leading them with clarity.
Get clear on the 5–7 metrics that matter most. Define what each level of performance looks like. Document it. Partner with your people. Review and refresh regularly.
Do this, and you’ll not only keep your high performers motivated — you’ll raise the bar for your entire team.
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