Why are the best performers the worst at reporting?

Do you have that someone in your office? You don’t really know what that person is up to, he doesn’t talk about work and you rarely see him asking questions? Almost like he doesn’t care? Well, that might just be the best performing employee in your office. A survey by Leadership IQ (via Forbes), says that in 42% of the companies, the best employees are the least engaged. Such employees are often bored and not motivated enough to be actively involved in their work.
You might have noticed this, but a lot of great performers are usually weirdo’s and slightly crazy. You have to be, to think and work differently. Like, you can’t be normal if you are brilliant.

Two kinds
I’m talking about two different tangents. On one hand, there are the quiet employees, who don’t draw attention to themselves and tend to work alone. But they surprise you with their work, which is usually thorough and filled with unexpected insights. I noticed this when I was in college. The students, who made the best reports, didn’t usually interact in class. They didn’t ask doubts or answer any questions. Nor did they give any updates on their work. You’ll find the same people in office doing the same thing. Give them a task, a deadline and then leave them alone.
The other kind don’t appreciate people hovering over them either. But they are more of the brash, unpredictable kind. Can you imagine Steve Jobs ever being an employee? He probably wouldn’t take too well to orders. He would have too many ideas and always want more, and if he wasn’t given the time of the day, he’d be bored and would finally quit. Quite the story concocted, right? But you know these people, they’re here, there, everywhere.
People are just and sometimes it’s the employer’s duty to understand different working styles and accommodate them. So the question arises, can you change the way these people work to fit your work culture? Are they conducive to the work environment? The former, you probably don’t need to worry about. You have to let them be.But, what about the latter? How to do you handle them? Do you stoke their fire at the risk of disrupting the workplace? These kinds of questions warrant a psychological study or a workplace report. You’ll get your answer there.