I’ve always been a good employee and a (would-be) overachiever. More accurately I’m an over-doer, trying for ‘greatness’ which is why I’ve edited this post too much and need to hit ‘publish’ already. Ahem.
The Catch. Always one of those.
Any company will have employees that are better, faster, more capable than others. There are overachievers, those team players seem to work harder and work smarter. Just how it is.
The catch is A+ work doesn’t always show up on the report card (aka performance review.) Silo’d within departments and divisions, Human Resources can be completely unaware of who their best and brightest employees really are.
Even in good companies, managers can favor less capable staff while ignoring hard work. Supervisors come to expect extra efforts by their top performers, yet seldom reward it (promoting it, unthinkable).
Every job I’ve ever had, I’ve been the go-to person, the resource for getting things done. Great for everyone .. until it’s not.
There’s No YOU in Team.
Being proactive and taking on added responsibilities sounds like being a good employee, right? The more capable you are, the more you do – makes you a team player. RIGHT?!
But there’s a point when doing more, going “above and beyond” goes too far. Helping out becomes “over-reaching” your job title when you’re expected to stay in your lane. (Internship flashbacks, whew.) In overachieving, you inadvertently threaten someone’s territory, outshine a manager’s favorite, or bruise a few delicate baby egos. (The tales I could type.)
Crazy as it sounds, team players and valuable contributions aren’t always wanted or welcome. At which point talented employees feel they have no choice but to go somewhere that will recognize, appreciated them as a valuable resource.
This is management, this is culture, why HR needs PR. Better relationships with employees, better communications all around – makes for a better business. (And why I want to shift to Internal Comms, Employee Relations.)
Other overachievers, over-doers, team players: Ever helped ‘too’ much – and it backfired?