Conventional wisdom says you should spread your best people across all your teams so everyone benefits from having at least one or two top performers. On paper, it looks balanced and fair.

But in practice, it doesn’t work. All you end up with is a collection of average teams.

Top talent thrives when surrounded by other high performers. Put your best people together and you don’t just get a strong team – you get an all-star team. And those teams don’t just deliver projects; they set a new standard for your business. Better yet, having a reputation for excellence attracts other high performers, who in turn raise the standard for everyone else.

The Flawed Logic of “Spreading the Talent”

I remember sitting down with my manager to plan the make-up of teams for upcoming projects. The thinking seemed sound: spread the A-players across the board so every team had a shot at performing well. After all, not everyone can be an A-player.

But what happened was predictable in hindsight. My best people were diluted. Instead of pushing each other to new heights, they spent their time carrying weaker performers. The teams got the job done, but none of them excelled. What looked like pragmatic team building was actually a recipe for mediocrity.

Think about it. When have you ever seen an elite sports club spread its stars across their first, second, and third teams? Never. Because it doesn’t work. You just end up with three average teams, and the elite players eventually leave.

What the Research Shows

Gallup’s First, Break All the Rules backs this up. Great managers don’t spread their best leaders thin. They put them on their best teams.

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A great leader can take a good team and make it exceptional. They set high standards, draw out the best in their people, and build an environment where others can thrive. When those leaders are placed with other strong players, the effect compounds.

On the other hand, a good leader might be able to take a poor team and raise them to an average level, but it comes at a cost. The opportunity for excellence is lost because that leader’s energy goes into firefighting and managing weaknesses. Over time, even the strongest leaders become disillusioned if they are asked to repeatedly rescue struggling teams. The end result is predictable: instead of one exceptional team, you finish up with two average ones.

Maximise Strengths at Every Level

The CliftonStrengths philosophy is clear: maximise what’s strong, don’t waste energy fixing what’s weak. This principle applies to both individuals and teams.

For individuals, the focus should always be on what energises them. When people are doing work that aligns with their natural talents, they are more engaged, more productive, and more likely to sustain high performance over the long term. Forcing people to spend their energy on areas where they lack natural ability is not only frustrating for them, it delivers diminishing returns for the business.

For teams, the same principle holds true. If you want to unlock exceptional performance, you need to group your top people together so their strengths multiply. High performers working side by side challenge each other, inspire each other, and raise the bar collectively.

Excellence becomes visible in your organisation, and people start to see what “great” looks like. Top performers actively want to be part of that environment because they know it will push them to grow. The benefits to the business compound, because exceptional teams are the ones trusted with the hardest and most visible projects. And these are the projects that build your reputation and leave a lasting legacy.

What About Poor Performers?

Spreading talent around doesn’t solve underperformance; it only hides it. Poor performers still hold back the people around them, but with “balanced” teams they end up doing it on every single project.

In the first instance, poor performers need to be coached and repositioned. Often underperformance is less about ability and more about fit. Someone might be in the wrong role or working in an environment that doesn’t align with their strengths. With the right adjustments, many people can find a place where they contribute positively.

But if coaching and repositioning don’t lead to improvement, then tougher decisions are necessary. Sometimes the only option is to manage poor performers out of the business. If you don’t, they will drag down the average and frustrate your top people. And if that continues, you risk losing the talent you want to keep.

The New Rule: Build All-Star Teams

If you want exceptional results, you need to build exceptional teams. That means being deliberate about where you place your top people.

Start by putting your best leaders in charge of your hardest projects. These are the individuals who can shoulder responsibility, inspire their teams, and deliver results under pressure. Surround them with the best people you’ve got — the ones who consistently deliver, the ones who are motivated, the ones who push others to be better.

Once you’ve assembled the team, give them autonomy, support, and visibility. Nothing kills performance faster than micromanagement or unnecessary interference. Trust your top people to do what they do best, and make sure the organisation recognises their efforts and achievements.

When these measures are in place, something powerful happens. Your all-star team raises the bar for the rest of the business. Other teams look to them as the benchmark. People inside and outside the organisation want to work with them. This attracts top talent to your business. Over time, you don’t just have one all-star team — you have many.

Imagine what a business like that could achieve.

Final Thought

Stop chasing fairness by spreading your talent thin.
Start chasing excellence by building all-star teams that deliver the projects that matter most.