Are you in the top 10% of performers?

Michael Port wrote this recently.

Business Week polled 2,000 executives and middle managers with the intent of getting a picture of the future state of work. Overall the results were pretty positive. Although one result was shocking, sad, and funny all at the same time.  It turns out... "Over 90% of respondents believe they're in the top 10% of performers." Huh? Houston we have a problem. Apparently, 80% of these folks are kidding themselves.

It made me think about 2 things:

1. How many of my team think they are in the top 10% of performers? I think it would be significantly more than 10%. They may be in the top 10% of the jobs they do, but not in the top 10% of the company.
2. It also made me think of the "differentiation" process that Jack Welch used at GE. Reward the top 20% stunningly, look after and develop the middle 70% and remove the bottom 10%.

Food for thought and discussion I think.