The ‘star performer’ is the biggest asset of any team. But if this person leaves the team or organisation for some reason, there are several issues that can crop up affecting the workflow and relationships in the team. However, this is also a huge opportunity for the team leader and other team members to prove their mettle.

A team is a complex and delicate set up, both in terms of work and relationships. Each member in it has a unique role and means a lot to his team mates and the team as whole.

Especially, the star performer is the heart of his team. He is ‘the dependable’ employee and his presence is an assurance of his team’s success.He shares more responsibility than his other team members. He is the source of inspiration and guidance for his co-worker who are trying to improve.He is the secret force behind the performance of his competitors and the success of his team leader. He has the respect of not only his team mates but also superiors.

The exit of this star performer has many direct and indirect effects on the team.

Firstly, his work has to be distributed among the remaining team. This means increased workload on them. If the tasks of the team members are interdependent, their work might have to be suspended till his role finds a replacement.While finding a suitable profile and training the candidate is the first difficult step in the process, making the team accept him is the next more difficult task.

As a Team lead Don’t try to convince yourself and others that the exit of the star player will not make any difference.Be proactive and asses the gravity of the situation. and try to understand the mindset of each team member after the exit of their colleague.Make them feel responsible and valued; they will volunteer to take up additional responsibilities. Act fast on replacing or making an equally competent star player for future. Identify potential candidates and start grooming them as soon as possible.

Star performer is a very important part of his team. His exit is an opportunity to get the other team members together and mould more of them into star performers. So brace yourself to use the opportunity to the fullest extent.