Don't Be Happy to Be Called an Overachiever

I have never understood the term “overachiever.”  What it says to me is that people underestimated you to begin with. Why did they under estimate you? Were you not as outgoing as you could have been? Did you not put the time into your work to make it stand out? Did you not go the extra mile in the past?

You should have goals, and your managers and bosses should have goals for you. You should be able to achieve those goals, and then set new ones. At times, we all underachieve, and then we make adjustments to do better next time. However, the idea that someone would set goals low for you should be perceived as a negative more than a positive.

As long as I am on this bandwagon…I don't really understand the idea of giving 150%.  100% is a 100%. If you are able to give more than 100%, then really, the 100% you were giving before...wasn't 100%.

Comments

[Tom Ciesielka]

Hi Tom,

I agree. Either we are performing up to our potential or not. I've often struggled with performance bonuses since we are not a commission-based organization. Howeever, I do offer incentives for when people can show getting extra-ordinary results from their 100% efforts. I usually define those extra-ordinary results as accomplishing something better than I could have done myself for the client.

Tom C

[Forrest Christian]

Tom,

You're right on: being an overachiever means that you're doing something wrong. You are achieving more than the role requires, which will sooner or later lead to boredom and career burnout.

Overachievers need to find work roles that fit rather than overpowering a role that is too small. It's only there that they can find success.