For those employees who seem content to perform at only a satisfactory level not pushing to achieve a higher standard, the supervisor may need to investigate the reason. Are they maxed out, have low confidence or knowledge? Most staff can improve their performance with the right kind of support. Motivating Middle Performers, an article by Mark Murphy, CEO of Leadership IQ, offers suggestions and related strategies to move the “average” performing employee to higher levels by looking at five critical reasons that may hinder performance.