Leaving Yongsan Station. (c) Danleo (CC BY 2.5). Via Wikimedia Commons.

Becoming the Enablement Vehicle for Others’ Unarticulated Desires

Forrest ChristianCareers, Coaching, Overachievers, Underachievers Leave a Comment

Back when I was working on the GO Society’s book, Organization Design, Levels of Work and Human Capability: Executive Guide, I had the opportunity to spend an Sunday afternoon talking to Julian Fairfield in his early Monday morning. (I love talking to Australia!) He’s an amazing thinker with a wide ranging interest that started years ago on the shopfloor, moved …

Winter night, looking down to Chateau D'Oex. (c) 2008 E. Forrest Christian. All rights reserved.

Why Psychotherapy Can Be Worse Than Not When You’re A Hidden High Potential

Forrest ChristianCoaching, Underachievers Leave a Comment

I recently had an exchange in another site with “Marcy”, who talked about some judgments that she had about some of her previous therapists who didn’t fit with her. (One of her old therapists, with whom she did good work, wrote a book with Warren Rule. I think this says a lot about her.) She was trying to find a …

The April 12 launch at Pad 39A of STS-1, just seconds past 7 a.m., carries astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen into an Earth orbital mission (STS-1. 1981). NASA

Best Secret For Succeeding When You’re “Smart”

Forrest ChristianCareers, Coaching, Overachievers, Underachievers 2 Comments

t being August, I thought it a good time reiterate the most useful piece of coaching I can give you: do you what you’re good at doing.

It seems so simple that feels almost insulting to receive as advice: Do what you’re good at. It seems like such a truism.

Except that so many high potentials just don’t see it.

Smedberg: Illustration from "Boy who was never afraid"

Reduce Career Risk By Moving Closer To Danger

Forrest ChristianCareers, Coaching, Overachievers, Underachievers Leave a Comment

There’s a reason why I talk about so many different ways of looking at your career, things like Levels of Work, the 7 Languages of Achievement, domains of work, and even personality differences. It’s all about helping you stop making career decisions that have almost no chance of working. For you. Because, you see, what’s risky for most people is …

The British Museum Reading Room. A panorama of 2x5 segments. By Diliff. CC BY SA 3.0.

Even in the Library, Biggest Person Takes the Heat

Forrest ChristianCareers, Coaching, Overachievers, Underachievers Leave a Comment

Did you know that if you have more capacity to do work than the people you work with, they’ll oftentimes respond by addressing things to you even though you’re not the boss? I’m busy putting the finishing touches on the launch of a new program Overachievers or Adult Underachievers, people who are not doing a role that is big enough …

Soudeh under Serum. (c) 2006 Hamed Saber. Via flickr. (CC BY 3.0)

Working Where You Don’t Fit Can Make You Sick

Forrest ChristianCareers, Coaching, Underachievers Leave a Comment

Let’s return to something Mary wrote in a comment about my post, “Knowing Who You Are Can Get You Out of Underachievement“: When I read “Underachievers, Are You Simply Out of Flow” and then Andrew Olivier’s “Our Working Journey and Stress”, I could hardly believe my eyes. I diagnosed myself immediately. I have been on 2 sick leaves, the last …