They’re adverse to hierarchy, bureaucracy, and don’t fit into traditional organisational charts. In the age of breakthroughs across AI and quantum computing, where work is complex and rarely follows a straight line, these individuals are as valuable as ever in driving momentum and can be what makes or breaks a successful startup. So how can businesses manage these workers who are both indispensable and almost impossible to keep?

Lessons from IQM

In 2019, IQM Quantum Computers was an emerging company operating in a field that was only beginning to gain broader recognition: quantum technology. IQM had a clear vision, but they were operating in a field notorious for long development cycles and a talent pool so scarce it verged on mythical.

To stand a chance, IQM had to recruit a very specific kind of person: the quantum engineer who understood both theory and practical implementation, the systems thinker who could work without guardrails. These weren’t generalists, nor were they even typical high performers. They were what we might now call high-value or gold-collar professionals: driven, talented people who laid the foundation for IQM through hard work and determination

Looking back, what IQM got right wasn’t just hiring smart people. It was creating an environment where those people could function without being slowed by unnecessary structure. That early flexibility, paired with a clear mission, allowed their top talent to innovate.

Beating others to the breakthrough

Fast forward to 2025, and we're in what could be described as a golden age of deep-tech disruption. From large language models to fusion reactors, startups are launching into domains that once lived on the edges of science fiction. It’s exciting, but also incredibly high stakes.

With more capital in the system and greater technical ambition, there’s less room for error. That puts even more pressure on the individuals capable of translating vision into real-world progress. In this context, those professionals are critical for small businesses and startups. The downside of these employees is that they’re often hard to keep, and even harder to manage.

Startups today need to face the reality that many of their most impactful team members operate by a different set of rules. They push back on hierarchy and aren’t particularly interested in titles. They want to solve hard problems with minimal interference. In return, they give you ten times the output of a standard worker.

Making or breaking a business

If gold-collar professionals are rare and valuable, diamond-collar ones are irreplaceable, and dangerously embedded. These individuals accumulate so much context and decision-making power that their departure can lead to knowledge black holes: the code only they understand, the systems only they maintain, or the relationships only they’ve managed.

While they can bring immense value to a business, they are equally capable of dismantling it with their departure. Many early-stage founders don’t realise how vulnerable they are until someone like this leaves. And by then, it’s often too late to patch the holes.

What is the secret to retaining high-impact workers?

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to managing high-impact talent, but there are patterns that work. The key is to treat management as context-setting, not control.

1. Know how to spot them. The most valuable team members aren’t always the ones with the loudest voices. Often, they are the ones pushing the toughest problems over the line and their value will be clear in the impact their work delivers. You have to pay close attention to notice where true leverage exists.

2. Avoid friction masquerading as structure. Process is good. Bureaucracy is not. Handling gold-collar workers often depends on managers ability to abandon the HR playbook. Give these individuals the tools and information they need, but don’t weigh them down with traditional structures. Every extra step they don’t value is a reason to disengage.

3. Let them stretch. Many gold-collar workers will contribute in a way that extends beyond their job descriptions. Let them roam and give them the space to experiment. Some of your best product ideas or strategic decisions might come from someone outside the expected channel.

4. Be direct and be timely. For high-value contributors who work in unorthodox ways, clarity is key to ensuring they thrive. Don’t make them wait for formal reviews. Rather, if something needs to be said, say it. And don’t leave feedback open to interpretation; in this context, precision is what really matters.

5. Prepare for the day they leave. It’s hard to think about, but planning for a high-value worker’s departure is essential to ensuring the right safety nets are in place. Build documentation into your workflow; encourage mentorship and knowledge transfer. It’s essential that management understands where the single points of failure are and fix them before they snap.

In 2025, managing a breakthrough company is less about building the biggest team or the flashiest brand. Instead, success is increasingly dependent on a founder’s ability to create gravity around a mission that can attract individuals motivated by purpose and a clear vision. In this context, leadership is less about direct oversight and more about knowing when to step back. Rather than seeking to command or contain, effective management of high-value individuals centres on creating cultures that remove friction and give top contributors the freedom they need to operate at their full potential.