Excellent and Under-Challenged? How this High Achiever’s Trap Can Lead to Burnout
You’re really good at your job…. Actually, you’re probably freaking excellent at it. You sail through tasks, slay presentations, and have built a reputation for reliability and follow through. And yet… a profound sense of blah persists. You are utterly drained at the end of the workday, despite not feeling particularly stretched. Your work is familiar. Comfortable. And you nail it. You’re a true High Achiever.
But you don’t really care about the work. Maybe your motivation is even beginning to erode. Shouldn’t it be easy to stay motivated and interested in work that you’re excellent at? Shouldn’t it take less from you, be less of a drain on your energy? What gives??
Say hello to the insidious fatigue of being under-challenged: a specific type of burnout that High Achievers often face, but can have a hard time recognizing since it hides behind their top tier work.
Ah, Burnout. Sound Familiar?
A quick primer on burnout before we move on. The term was first coined by psychoanalyst Herbert Freudenberger in the early 1970s, and was initially associated with healthcare workers, educators and their mental + physical responses to working in highly stressful environments. Later research has proven that burnout can actually afflict those of any profession or walk of life– given how it is ultimately a response to stress, regardless of vocation or life path. And while we know that burnout can impact your quality of life in both professional and personal domains, for the purposes of this blog, we are going to focus on professional burnout.
There are at least three main subtypes of burnout that can show up in the workplace:
Overburdened: This is the burnout that you’re most familiar with– the kind that stems from relentless deadlines, overflowing inboxes and unreasonable demands on your time.
Neglected: When you’re unsupported and given very little oversight or direction, the lack of guidance can leave you feeling utterly lost, but with all of the expectations to perform well, creating a risk of burnout.
Under-Challenged: Burnout that occurs when you lack interest or motivation in your work, mostly because it comes very easily to you and you’re really good at it.
Excellence vs. Genius: The Sneaky Issue Behind Under-Challenged Burnout
Hold up… what? That sounds counterintuitive. How can doing what you're good at lead to burnout?! The truth is, while deep knowledge and mastery have their place, perpetually operating within your zone of excellence can be surprisingly depleting, hindering your access to the truly energizing and impactful, self-realizing realm of your zone of genius.
In his insightful book, “The Big Leap,” Gay Hendricks brilliantly distinguishes between four different zones of human operation: incompetence, competence, excellence and genius. Again, for the purposes of this blog and our deep dive into under-challenged burnout, let’s laser in on the last two quadrants, the zones of excellence and genius (but if you want to learn more about all four quadrants, grab the book!)
The zone of excellence is just that: it’s where you excel. You possess the skills and experience to perform tasks effectively, with precision, and you likely receive positive feedback for your efforts. You shine in your role. According to your boss, you are probably the gold standard for your team. Think of the seasoned marketing manager who can flawlessly execute standard campaign rollouts, or the experienced software engineer who can debug code with impressive speed. It's comfortable, familiar territory, and your fluency in it makes you truly excellent at what you do.
Many people think of their zone of excellence as the goal and subsequently, the pinnacle or stopping point. And for some, it can be! They have worked really hard to achieve a sense of excellence in their work and want to stay in this zone. If you’re thriving, motivated and enjoy what you do, that's fabulous news and there’s no need to overthink how aligned you feel! But chances are if you’re reading this, something seems missing and you don’t know why or what. Keep reading.
Excellent + Under-Challenged = The High Achiever’s Trap
Now let’s link the zone of excellence to under-challenged burnout: working in your zone of excellence, while seemingly comfortable, can hinder your access to more fulfilling "zone of genius" work. While the zone of excellence provides security, staying there exclusively comes at a cost (keyword: exclusively). It stifles growth, dulls motivation, and ultimately leaves you with a gnawing sense of unfulfillment and the blahs. You might be efficient (after all, you’re a High Achiever!), BUT you’re under-challenged… So are you truly engaged? You might be meeting (or exceeding) expectations, but are you reaching the fullest expression of your gifts and wisdom?
High Achievers are particularly susceptible to the trap of under-challenged burnout (um, yay?). Because they consistently deliver stellar results within their zone of excellence, they often become the default choice by their leadership for all the things. The person who can churn out reports flawlessly gets assigned more reports. The one who expertly handles client inquiries becomes the sole point of contact for every issue. The one who lands the big deals gets… more deals to land. Their efficiency is rewarded with more of the same, often beyond that of their peers, effectively boxing them into roles that don't leverage their full capabilities. The High Achiever gets triple loaded with a plate of things they’re really good at, but none of it they care about. They are overburdened AND under-challenged– and totally stuck. Their very strength has now confined them, preventing them from stepping into more strategic, innovative, and ultimately more energizing work. This isn't a promotion; it's an exploitation of their performance and reliability… cue the burnout.
So, what is the Zone of Genius and how is it the antidote to under-challenged burnout?
Beyond excellence lies the zone of genius. This is where the magic happens. It's where you engage in activities that ignite your passion, where time seems to melt away, and where your unique talents produce exceptional, often unexpected, results. This is the marketing manager who dreams up a groundbreaking viral campaign, or the software engineer who envisions an entirely new, innovative application. It’s the entrepreneur who blazes their own trail to fill a gap in the market that only they see, and only they can fill.
In your zone of genius, work doesn't always feel like work; it feels like flow, with your innate gifts, creativity and wisdom pouring into the world. You’re inspired. Motivated. Alive.
Perhaps not always (because life happens and we’re faaaaar from perfect), but enough of the time that it keeps you connected to your sense of purposeful, meaningful work even on the hardest of days.
Recognizing the Signs of Under-Challenged Burnout
Unlike the frenetic energy of pure, overburdened burnout, under-challenged burnout often manifests in more subtle ways;
Chronic Boredom and Restlessness: You find yourself constantly looking at the clock, feeling a deep lack of stimulation in your daily tasks.
Lack of Enthusiasm: Activities that come easily, you excel at, and even once enjoyed now feel like a monotonous drag. You simply don’t give a sh*t.
Mental Sluggishness: Your mind feels foggy, uninspired, and resistant to engaging deeply with your work.
Increased Cynicism: You might find yourself becoming more negative or resentful about your job and your contributions.
Procrastination on Simple Tasks: Even the easiest assignments feel like a burden, leading to avoidance.
A Nagging Sense of Untapped Possibility: You know you're capable of more, but feel stuck in a cycle of routine.
Physical Symptoms: Psychological disengagement can manifest physically as fatigue, headaches, or even digestive issues.
How Therapy Can Help
The process of identifying your zone of genius and understanding why you might be stuck in your zone of excellence often requires deep self-reflection on the pathway to doing things differently. This can be challenging to navigate, and working with a therapist can provide invaluable support and guidance. Therapy offers a safe container to explore your feelings of dissatisfaction, boredom, and lack of motivation. It can also help you:
Uncover Underlying Beliefs: Sometimes, unconscious beliefs or fears can keep us tethered to our comfort/excellence zones, even when they no longer serve us. A therapist can help you identify and challenge these limiting beliefs.
Clarify Your Values and Passions: Through guided questioning and exploration, therapy can help you reconnect with what truly matters to you and what activities genuinely spark your interest.
Identify Patterns: A therapist can help you recognize patterns in your career choices and understand why you might consistently gravitate towards roles that don't challenge you beyond your zone of excellence.
Develop Self-Awareness: Therapy fosters a deeper understanding of your strengths, growth points and emotional responses, providing crucial insights for making thoughtfully informed decisions about your professional path.
Build Confidence: The process of self-discovery and understanding can boost your confidence to take risks and step outside your comfort/excellence zone in pursuit of more fulfilling work.
Navigate Difficult Emotions: As you consider making changes, you might encounter overthinking, fear, anxiety or uncertainty. A therapist can provide coping strategies, relational security and emotional support during this transition.
Reclaiming Your Energy and Accessing Your Genius
Beyond seeking therapeutic support, there are actionable steps you can take to escape the excellence trap and start exploring the zone of genius on your own:
Deep Self-Reflection (with or without a therapist): Take the time to identify what truly excites and energizes you. When do you feel most alive and engaged at work (or even outside of it)? What unique skills and perspectives do you bring to the table? Reflect on moments of flow and peak performance (no matter how small); what was it about those moments that felt different to you?
Communicate Your Aspirations: Have an honest conversation with your leadership about your desire for more challenging and stimulating work. Propose new projects or responsibilities that align with your potential and your identified areas of interest (*Disclaimer: this is NOT about asking for MORE work on top of what you already have! It’s about asserting the need for your work to ALIGN with your gifts and wisdom within the context of your role).
Seek Out New Frontiers: Look for opportunities to work on cross-functional projects; this can be a great way to expose yourself to thinking outside your zone of excellence.
Delegate and Automate Ruthlessly: Free up your mental bandwidth by offloading routine tasks as much as you can. Explore automation tools and processes to streamline predictable work, allowing you to focus on higher-level thinking.
Embrace Experimentation and the Possibility of "Failure": The path to your zone of genius often involves venturing into the unknown. Adopt a growth mindset where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities, and failing aids in that learning.
Work your Boundaries: Politely push back against being consistently assigned tasks that don't challenge you, even if you can do them well. Advocate for work that stretches your abilities and supports your sense of purpose.
Despair Not, Dear High Achiever
I know, that was a lot. And it may leave you feeling frustrated to learn that the very thing that makes you a high achieving all-star: your excellence, could also be the thing that’s burning you out and holding you back from expanding into your highest wisdom. Your genius. And yes, under-challenged burnout is a sneakier, but no less real, source of exhaustion in the modern workplace. But recognizing its subtle signs and understanding the difference between "I'm really good at this" and “I was made for this” is like finding the secret roadmap to a more joyful, fulfilling career. Whether you choose to explore this path of self-discovery on your own or with the supportive guidance of a therapist, remember that your well-being, sense of purpose and unique contributions hinge on your willingness to nudge yourself out of the cozy familiarity of your excellence and into the open wild of your genius.
And if you’re in California and curious about joining forces with me as your therapist, book your free consultation call today and let’s get to work!
Layne Baker, LMFT
As a licensed therapist in California, I help high achieving, overly-responsible perfectionists learn how to get crystal clear about their values, have confidence in their decisions, set boundaries with loved ones, trust their instincts and take care of themselves for REAL.
For online therapy support in Los Angeles, San Fransisco, and the greater California area, reach out today.
