"Driving over the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge", (c) 2012 Roman Bansen-CC BY SA 2.0). Via Wikimedia.

How Being Stuck in Your Career Leads to Bitterness, Anger and Rage, Which Gets You Stuck Even Farther

Forrest ChristianUnderachievers 1 Comment

Being a Hidden high potentials can lead to bitterness and anger, and left untreated to rage. People don’t recognize what you bring, what you do, who you are. It’s hard, frustrating and spiritually debilitating. But you need to let go of the bitterness and anger you feel about this, even though it just forces you to do more without compensation.

Sand bucket on the beach of Punta del Este, Uruguay. David http://www.flickr.com/people/99255685@N00 (CC BY 2.0)

What You Might Do vs. What You Can Do

Forrest ChristianCoaching, Overachievers, Underachievers 2 Comments

I have been muddying up the difference between what you can now do and what you could do now, say with the right training; between the size of your capability bucket and how much is in it. One is current capability while the latter is your current capacity. Glenn Mehltretter of PeopleFit reminded me in a comment he left on …

Conductor checks his watch to find out how much time remains at the Bloomington, Illinois, stop on the Turboliner run between St. Louis, Missouri, and Chicago. Photo by Charles O'Rear for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1970). (NARA record: 3403717)

It’s About Time, Underachievers!

Forrest Christianelliott jaques, requisite organization, Underachievers 2 Comments

When last we left them, the three union men Glacier Metal Company managers had burst upon Elliott Jaques with the brilliant solution that had come to them while drinking: the reason why some people got paid more than others had to do with how long it took to get paid. My fictionalization aside, what made this any more brilliant than …

4x4 vehicle stuck in a mud hole, with a man attaching a winch. (c) Kris Butler. Via 123rf.com.

When Being An Underachiever Is Really Just Being Stuck

Forrest ChristianCareers, Coaching, Underachievers Leave a Comment

Do you feel like you’re underachieving because you are just stuck where you are and can’t get out? Byron (not his real name) feels like this. He was doing well for a long time. A graduate of one of the top HR schools in the U.S. He had been the compensation manager for a shoe company with operations in several …

Are You An Adult Underachiever or Is That Someone Else's Label?

Forrest ChristianCareers, Coaching, Underachievers Leave a Comment

We’re taking a detour on our answer to last week’s question on Adult Underachievers to address something that has popped up in emailed responses. It’s a great question because it gets to the real heart of the matter. It may address a problem that was never raised when we talked about Maye Rain’s belief that she was an underachiever, even …

Traffic signal at Tamil Nadu. (c) 2011 Thamizhpparithi Maari (CC BY SA 3.0)

Signaling, Legitimacy and Reputation: Another Problem High-Potentials Must Overcome

Forrest ChristianCareers, Underachievers 1 Comment

Everything that you do, say and show signals information about you to others. This idea of Signaling comes from zoology / biology. It’s about how a fit male peacock (for example) lets potential mates know that he has the goods, moreso than others. The signal is his extensive plumage. The trick to signaling is that it has to cost you …