The Curse of High Achievers

There are many benefits to being a high achiever, but today, I wanted to share about the “curse of the high achiever”. This is the inadvertent flip-side of the success this group enjoys, and as a coach who has worked with overachievers for the last 5+ years, it’s something that I’ve become very familiar with. It might even be happening to you without your knowledge! 

If you’ve ever asked yourself:

“How did I end up in this industry?”

“Do I even like my job, or am I just good at it?”

“Is this the work that I really want to do long term?”

You might be struggling with this. 

Here’s what happens:

Many high achievers stand out against their peers. They make a name for themselves, known as the “reliable one”, the one who gets things done, the team player… As a result, good opportunities sometimes fall into their laps. It’s an amazing privilege. These are the folks who are contacted by LinkedIn recruiters, referred by past managers, and even offered jobs on the fly. Sometimes these people hear things like, “well if you’re ever looking to get into my industry…know that I’ll always have a job for you!”.

While this is a huge privilege and good to appreciate, I do think it’s important to know the downside of this… 

For a lot of high achievers, as slimy-feeling as it is to admit, finding opportunities isn’t the issue. Gross, but true. There is often someone from their professional past who would gladly refer them. 

Instead, the issue is that these superstars don’t have enough self-understanding to know which jobs are a “yes” for them, and which are a “no” for them. As a result, they sometimes take job offers that aren't aligned with their true career needs and desires, and end up feeling unfulfilled. 

These people seldom pause and ask themselves whether they like the work, and want to move their career in that direction. Instead they just do, and do, and do, until one day they realize that they’ve reached the top of a ladder to success that they never wanted to climb in the first place. 

For people who are in this position, their career path is inadvertently being driven by others outside of themselves. Instead of the individual saying, “I want to go into X industry, let me find the role that fits”, their career path is determined by which opportunity presents itself first. And this can end up being the curse of the high achiever… Because if they don’t have a central vision or North Star for their career, their career path begins to look a bit like a zig-zaggy line. One that was determined by fitting themselves into the role that was presented, instead of identifying their needs and picking the right path forward. 

If you want to find more fulfillment and engagement from your role, it’s essential to design your career path yourself. It’s the fastest route to success. 

So, have you struggled with this challenge before? If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! You’re definitely not alone.

P.S. To be clear, this is absolutely a privileged problem to have. “Too many job opportunities?” Gross! But in my experience, this is indeed a challenge for some people, so I do think it’s important to talk about. 

P.P.S. If you’re struggling with not having your own lens for career success, I’m here to help you find your career North Star! Head to beempoweredachievers.com/apply to learn more about designing an aligned career path. I’ve got your back!