The Importance of A+ Players in Your Company
Short-term wins, long-term compounding
In the tech industry — fierce competition, fast pace — hiring A+ players is essential. These top performers compound across both short and long horizons.
What is an A+ player?
An A+ player is a senior developer with experience as a team leader. They are self-driven, self-starting, and deeply passionate about their work. They don't need a Jira board to know what to do.
Short-term benefits
A+ players hit business operations immediately. They are self-starters who can tackle complex projects with minimal guidance, solve problems quickly, and deliver to higher standards than peers. Their technical expertise accelerates project completion. They communicate well, collaborate cleanly, and contribute fresh ideas that improve products and processes.
Long-term benefits
The compounding shows up in three places:
- A culture of excellence
- A strategy that attracts more top talent
- A plan for retaining the people you already have
A+ players inspire others through strong work ethics and a continuous-improvement mindset. They mentor juniors, develop skill across the org, and strengthen the workplace community.
What happens when you don't have any
Without elite performers, companies face innovation gaps, slower projects, and lower productivity. Lower-performing employees become complacent and culture erodes. Competing effectively and growing sustainably becomes much harder.
Why self-driven people matter most for SMBs
Self-driven individuals are critical for small to mid-sized businesses. They're accountable, proactively identify and resolve issues, and maintain success orientation without micromanagement — freeing leadership for strategy.
Great vision without great people is irrelevant. — Marc Benioff, CEO Salesforce
McKinsey's number — 400% more productive — explains the rest.