REPLAY: High Performance, Low Engagement: An Overlooked Business Risk

Dec 30, 2025

Melanie Naranjo, Chief People Officer at Athena, is a people leader who builds cultures that keep top performers. She explores why high output can hide burnout and disengagement. Short, concrete manager actions and targeted development can re-engage talent. Discussion covers spotting early red flags, shifting draining work, and holding underperformers accountable to protect top performers.

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ADVICE

Offer Choose-Your-Own Perks

Give employees autonomy to choose how they engage instead of forcing one-size-fits-all perks.
Athena's $100 monthly perk lets employees spend on bonding or self-care in ways that actually build connection.

ADVICE

Ask Proactive, Specific Questions

Proactively solicit information from high performers because they rarely surface problems themselves.
Ask scale and targeted questions about stress, workload, ROI, and time-sucks to reveal hidden disengagement.

ADVICE

Redefine Solution-Oriented Mindset

Reframe solution-orientation: expect attempts, not perfect answers, before manager collaboration.
Encourage reports to share steps tried plus where they need manager help to co-solve problems.

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High performers are often seen as the ones you don't have to worry about.

But behind consistent output and quiet competence, there can be early signs of burnout and disengagement.

In this episode, Melanie Naranjo joins Karina Young to challenge how companies define top talent and why performance without support leads to retention risk.

Melanie, Chief People Officer at Ethena, shares a candid perspective on why high performers need more than praise. They need space to grow, permission to speak up, and help rewiring habits that no longer serve them.

Together, they explore how over-reliance on top talent can backfire, why traditional engagement strategies often miss the mark, and what managers can do to spot red flags before it's too late. Melanie also offers clear strategies for re-engaging high performers and building a culture where expectations, accountability, and care go hand in hand.

For HR leaders working to retain their best people, it's a compelling reminder: performance doesn't mean immunity. It means opportunity.

Join us as we discuss:

(00:00) Meet HR Superstar: Melanie Naranjo

(01:14) The hidden costs of quiet disengagement

(03:28) Rethinking what "high performer" really means

(06:26) Debunking the myth of passion and performance

(10:19) Building flexible perks that actually engage people

(12:58) Early signs your top talent is burning out

(15:19) Questions managers should ask but usually don't

(20:03) How to coach overwhelmed team members

(22:30) Why surveys won't help you retain your best people

(24:17) High performers suffer when underperformers go unchecked

(31:19) Re-engaging talent through targeted development plans

(35:25) What to do when a high performer is a jerk

(38:23) Questions every manager should ask top talent

Resources:

For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube, or tune in on our website. Original podcast track produced by Entheo.

Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for HR Superstars in your favorite podcast player.

Hear Karina's thoughts on elevating your HR career by following her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinayoung11/

Download 15Five's The HR Leader's Guide to Reducing Regrettable Turnover:

https://www.15five.com/resources/ebook/guide-to-reducing-regrettable-turnover?hsLang=en?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Q4_2025_CTA&utm_content=turnover

For more on maximizing employee performance, engagement, and retention, click here: https://www.15five.com/demo?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Q2-Podcast-Ads&utm_content=Schedule-a-demo Melanie Naranjo's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-naranjo/