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Forbes
20-05-2025
- General
- Forbes
3 Signs You're A Burnt Out Overachiever — By A Psychologist
While it's important to have goals and drive, it's equally important to recognize when it's too ... More much. Here's how overachievers often burn out chasing success. Have you ever experienced those periods of intense focus and discipline where you effortlessly stick to your routine, power through work or study sessions for hours and feel unstoppable? But then, without warning, it all comes crashing down. The fear of failure creeps in, the weight of expectations becomes unbearable and the workload that once felt manageable now seems impossible to do. You start missing deadlines, you struggle to concentrate and even the simplest of tasks drain you. No matter how hard you push, exhaustion takes over and the guilt of falling short, whether in your own eyes or others', only makes it worse. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to question the relentless pursuit of success as your primary identity. Here are three signs you're an overachiever who would benefit from deprioritizing success. From a young age, many overachievers internalize the belief that their worth is tied to their productivity and accolades. They may have grown up believing that achieving success is one of the only ways to attain love and validation. As a result, they may end up equating self-worth with performance and form a fragile identity that thrives on external validation. Despite clear evidence of success, they feel they are never quite 'enough.' A 2019 study published in Human Relations suggests this may be because we live in a performance-based society, where our sense of identity is increasingly derived from our work. Traditional identity anchors, such as family or community roles have weakened, leaving professional achievement to fill that void. People may internalize labels like 'top consultant' or 'great teacher' until their work identities become central to their self-image. When work is so tightly intertwined with identity, any perceived underperformance can lead to feelings of shame and embarrassment. Any kind of work-related failure may undermine their sense of self. And these effects rarely stay internal. Struggles with self-worth can spill over into relationships, especially if one begins to feel disconnected from peers they once related to with confidence. While this mindset may fuel early success, driving academic or professional achievements, it also lays the groundwork for an identity crisis when the accolades fade or the goals lose their meaning. For many overachievers, burnout may show up as persistent exhaustion, emotional detachment and a deep loss of motivation. The problem is often misinterpreted by others and even by overachievers themselves as laziness or failure, which only deepens feelings of inadequacy. They may feel intense guilt for not being 'productive' and shame for needing rest. Their internal dialogue turns harsh, punishing them for slowing down, even when their bodies and minds are clearly signaling the need to pause. When we're healthy, we rarely think about our bodies since they function the way we need them to. But burnout makes the body suddenly feel unfamiliar and uncooperative. Tasks that once felt easy become overwhelming. It's like being trapped in a body that no longer aligns with the mind's intentions. This disconnect brings frustration and helplessness. People begin to distrust their own abilities, experience low self-esteem and feel unsettled in their sense of identity. They no longer feel like themselves. Instead, they feel like a half-version of who they once were. A 2020 study published in Qualitative Health Research brings up the importance of 're-habituating the habitual body.' This refers to relearning how to live in and with the body after burnout. If you've ever been a chronic overachiever, you need to start paying close attention to signs of fatigue before they escalate. It requires slowing down, pacing oneself and saying 'no' more often, even when it feels uncomfortable. For instance, don't say 'yes' to projects just out of enthusiasm or the need to prove your merit. Ask yourself if you have the capacity to cover them in the required timeframe, in addition to getting enough sleep, exercise, nutrition and other essential forms of self-care. Many people work relentlessly as a means to escape their psychological pain. They may be struggling with deeper issues such as emotional distress, family dysfunction or a sense of lost control elsewhere in life. Over time, the need to 'hustle' shifts from a drive to succeed into a coping mechanism for avoiding what feels too overwhelming to confront. But eventually, this strategy wears thin. Their effort only results in emotional numbness and exhaustion. Without the constant busyness to distract them, unresolved issues start to surface. Former overachievers may also grapple with what can be called 'success fatigue.' Despite achieving milestones that others admire, they are left with a sense of emptiness. They may wonder what all this was for or why they don't feel happy after years of effort. This dissonance reflects a deeper existential crisis. The goals they once pursued with such urgency no longer bring satisfaction. Many begin to crave slower, more meaningful lives, but struggle to reconcile that longing with years of conditioning that defined success as relentless striving. What makes this even harder is the silence that often surrounds success. Because they're seen as high achievers, former overachievers tend to suffer quietly. Loved ones may not understand their change in energy and motivation. They may say things like 'You were doing so well' out of concern, not realizing how this might deepen their sense of isolation. Overachievers who are accustomed to being the 'strong, dependable one,' may also find it difficult to ask for help or even admit to needing it. This isolation only worsens burnout and delays healing. It's easy to envy people who build fortunes, publish books or reach extraordinary heights. But instead of resenting them, we need to show them more compassion. Behind their successful image often lies self-doubt and the weight of unsustainable expectations. Likewise, overachievers must remember that there is nothing wrong with a moderate level of achievement. In fact, it may show that they have a well-balanced life and a healthy mindset. So before chasing after success, remember to choose yourself, as your well-being will always be the biggest win of them all. Does one setback leave you trapped in thoughts of what went wrong? Take this science-backed test to find out: Mistake Rumination Scale
Forbes
13-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Hiring For Alignment And Complementarity: Why Common Values And Diverse Skills Make The Ideal Team
Blending Common Values and Diverse Skills Creates More Effective Teams In today's fast-moving, complex business environment, assembling the right team is more than just ticking off boxes of technical competencies or work experience. A client asked me would you hire someone like yourself or totally different to you for a critical role on your team. I responded 'neither of them!' She was a bit surprised as it is common practice to say 'I want diversity' as we know this is important for good outcomes. So I clarified by saying 'I want someone who shares my values, but has a complementary skills profile to me.' Successful organizations are increasingly recognizing the strategic value of hiring people who not only bring the skills to get the job done, but also share the organization's core values. This dual focus—on values alignment and skills complementarity—yields stronger teams, better execution, and a more cohesive culture. In essence, we should hire people who believe in the same 'why' but bring a different 'how.' The Power of Shared Values At the heart of a resilient and high-performing organization lies a shared sense of purpose and a common set of values. When employees share core beliefs—whether about collaboration, integrity, innovation, or service—they are more likely to align on long-term goals, trust one another, and navigate ambiguity together effectively. According to an article in Human Relations 2016 diversity of skills sets with corresponding diversity of values leads to negative outcomes, as the team members do not trust each other and collaborate effectively. So the benefit of the diverse skills is lost if the teams cannot find common ground and values. Moreover, in times of uncertainty or transformation, values-aligned teams are more resilient. They are able to make decisions faster and with more confidence because they are guided by a shared internal compass. This accelerates not only the pace of execution but also the quality of collaboration. Complementary Skills Drive Stronger Execution While shared values lay the foundation for collaboration, it is complementary skills that provide the architecture for execution. A team composed of individuals who all think the same way or have identical capabilities risks redundancy and groupthink. On the other hand, when team members bring different skill sets—strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, operational execution, data analysis, and so on—they can divide work more efficiently, innovate more effectively, and tackle challenges from multiple angles. Patrick Lencioni, in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, highlights the importance of trust and constructive conflict in effective teams. Trust is rooted in shared values, but healthy conflict—where diverse perspectives clash constructively—is powered by different approaches and problem-solving frameworks. A strategist and an implementer, for example, might disagree on timelines but ultimately create a better plan together. A visionary and a detail-oriented executor may butt heads initially, but end up delivering a more complete solution. In Google's 'Project Aristotle,' a multi-year study on team effectiveness, also revealed that psychological safety (the ability to take risks and express ideas without fear) was the most critical factor in high-performing teams. Teams with aligned values but diverse skill sets foster this safety by creating an environment where members respect each other's intentions and appreciate different ways of thinking. Directional Alignment Enables Strategic Agility When hiring, one of the biggest mistakes organizations make is focusing solely on skills fit or culture fit in isolation. Skills alone won't carry a team through periods of ambiguity, and culture fit without skills can lead to stagnation. Instead, the goal should be directional alignment with functional diversity. Directional alignment ensures that everyone is moving toward the same objectives with a shared commitment to the organization's mission. For instance, in a company that values social impact and ethical leadership, hiring someone who is only results-driven but ignores long-term consequences might yield short-term wins but damage brand reputation in the long run. On the other hand, once you're aligned directionally, skills diversity becomes your competitive edge. Consider the composition of a successful product development team: a user experience designer, a back-end developer, a data analyst, and a marketing strategist may not share the same day-to-day responsibilities, but if they are all working toward the same purpose—creating a customer-centric, ethical, and innovative solution—they'll be exponentially more effective than a homogenous group. Practical Implications for Hiring Shared Values are the Core of Building Strong Teams So how do organizations operationalize this ideal mix of shared values and complementary skills? 1. Start with values clarity. Define the core values your company stands for and assess candidates not just on culture fit, but on values fit. Use behavioral interview questions to test how a candidate's past decisions align with your organizational principles. 2. Create team-based hiring models. Involve a cross-functional panel in the interview process to evaluate how a candidate's skills add to, rather than duplicate, the existing team. 3. Hire for potential and adaptability. Sometimes the best hires are those who don't check every technical box but demonstrate a capacity to learn and a commitment to your mission. These individuals often bring fresh perspectives and help the team grow in new directions. 4. Invest in onboarding and integration. When new hires are welcomed into a culture that reinforces shared values and encourages skill-sharing, they integrate faster and perform better. Ongoing training, mentoring, and team reflection sessions help reinforce both alignment and learning. Conclusion In a world where change is the only constant, the organizations that thrive are those with teams that are both value-aligned and skill-diverse. By hiring people who believe what you believe—but do what you don't—you position your team not just for operational efficiency, but for innovation, resilience, and long-term success. It's not about sameness; it's about shared purpose with distinct strengths. That's the formula for building teams that truly work.
