How to unleash the potential of your B players

Recruiting, interviewing, onboarding and training new employees takes time and money -- two of any company's most valuable resources. So you might think that after investing new employees, companies would continue to help grow their careers within the business. However, that isn't always the case, and middle managers often find their time is split between A players and C or D players, while B players often go ignored. But there is a cost associated with ignoring B players, because with a little attention, these employees might wind up being your most valuable assets. Without that attention they may develop into another company's A player.

The concept of an A, B, C or D player is basically a ranking system often used in sports. "A players" are the stars, these are the people companies actively recruit and consider it a win when they get them. "C and D players" are the employees who take up a manager's time because they're causing problems, not meeting goals or having trouble grasping new concepts. And the "B players" are in between. These employees might have the potential to become A players, but maybe they lack some key traits, like communication skills or self-motivation. Or they might be a B player simply because they are easy to work with and flexible, and therefore aren't wasting a manager's time, even if they aren't hitting their goals every month.

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