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The Over-Performance Trap and How to Avoid It
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If you’re a high performer, you likely take pride in your ability to deliver, exceed expectations, and be the person others can count on. It’s part of your identity. But what happens when high-performance crosses the threshold into over-performance? The shift is subtle but the consequences are severe: exhaustion, frustration and burnout. Many high-performers don’t recognize this shift in real-time. They believe they’re just “doing a little more,” when in reality, they’ve entered a cycle of diminishing returns. The difference between high-performance and over-performance is not just about effort — it’s about sustainability, opportunity costs and impact. And this distinction matters both for individual high-performers and leaders of high-performing teams. High-Performance vs. Over-Performance: What’s the Difference? High-performance is about effective effort: ✅ Knowing when to push and when to pause ✅ Aligning work with priorities and outcomes ✅ Creating value while maintaining sustainability ✅ Delivering impact at a high level without sacrificing long-term well-being ✅ Optimizing individual or collective time, energy and attention to their highest and best use Over-performance, on the other hand, is excessive effort that leads to depletion: ⚠️ Constantly raising the bar without considering - or knowing - what success actually looks like ⚠️ Expending energy beyond what is necessary to achieve results ⚠️ Sacrificing personal well-being for the sake of “doing more” ⚠️ Taking on more than is reasonable or required Why This Matters: The Performance Paradox If they don’t know what “good” and “great” look like, high-performers will over-perform because their default mode is to exceed expectations. The problem? Without clear parameters, “good” becomes a moving target and over-performance becomes a habit, not an exception. Over time, this erodes morale, increases frustration and actually diminishes performance. High-performers who over-perform often see diminishing returns, leading to decreased innovation, creativity and strategic thinking. Worse, they become the very people most susceptible to burnout and with the highest retention risk. At the organizational level, over-performance carries a steep opportunity cost. When individuals and teams are stretched thin by unnecessary effort, they miss the chance to focus on the highest-leverage work. The cost isn’t just personal exhaustion, it’s lost innovation, slowed problem-solving and an over-reliance on urgent tasks at the expense of long-term strategy. An Example: The Power of Clarity vs. The Trap of Over-Performance Imagine two high-performers in different work cultures: Melissa has a leader who clearly defines what good and great look like. She receives structured feedback, so she knows when her work meets the standard and when to move on. After completing a report that meets the “great” benchmark, she shifts her focus to another high-priority task, optimizing her impact without wasting energy on unnecessary refinement. Her high-performance is directed, efficient, impactful and sustainable. She feels great about her work, feels valued by her organization and is eager to dive into the next project with her energy and higher-order thinking intact. Diane works in an environment where expectations are vague and success is undefined. She pours extra hours into perfecting a report, pushing through multiple unnecessary revisions because she has no clarity on when it’s “good enough.” When leadership reviews it, she realizes that the version she had three sleepless nights ago was already excellent. Because she over-performed, her exhaustive effort goes unnoticed. She’s exhausted, frustrated and depleted when she takes on her next assignment. Now, extend Diane’s reality into a culture where nothing is ever good enough, where leadership consistently asks for just one more tweak, just a little more effort and where over-performance is not just encouraged but expected. In this kind of culture, high-performers internalize the message that their best is never enough. Over time, this mindset leads to perpetual over-performance, a relentless drive to exceed invisible, ever-moving expectations. The result: Fear of judgment runs rampant, creativity suffers, resentment builds and burnout becomes the default rather than the exception. The irony? A culture that fosters perpetual over-performance often loses its best people. High-performers want to be seen, appreciated and valued (just like anyone else) and they want to know what excellence looks like so they can deliver and keep moving. In the absence of that clarity, they will grind, but not forever. Whether before or after burnout sets in, they will leave for an organization that celebrates them. Signs You’ve Crossed Into Over-Performance If you’re unsure whether you’re still in high-performance mode or have crossed into over-performance, here are key indicators: 🚩 You say “yes” before assessing bandwidth or necessity 🚩 You feel anxiety when not working or feel guilty taking a break 🚩 Your to-do list grows, but your impact plateaus (or even declines) 🚩 You consistently exceed expectations—even when it’s unnecessary 🚩 You’re mentally or physically exhausted, but you keep pushing through 🚩 You’re spending time on work that isn’t aligned with priorities but feels urgent Recognizing these signals early allows you to course-correct before burnout takes hold. Sustaining High-Performance Without Over-PerformingTo maintain high-impact performance while avoiding burnout, try these five strategies: 1. Define “Good Enough” Clarity is your best tool. Set explicit success criteria so you know when you’ve done enough rather than striving for more out of habit. Ask your leader to define this for or with you. That’s the job. 2. Prioritize Impact, Not Activity Focus on strategic effort over sheer volume. Ask, “What creates the most value?” instead of “What else can I do?” 3. Set Boundaries Around Your Energy High-performers often know how to manage their time but neglect managing their energy. Schedule recovery time with the same discipline you schedule work. 4. Break the “Always Say Yes” Cycle Pause before responding to new asks. Default to “Let me check my priorities” instead of “Sure, I can do that.” If your leader has a tendency to pile on, shine a light on the tradeoffs they are imposing. “I can add X, but it would be at the expense of Y.” You hold the line and make them make the call. 5. Measure Success by Outcomes, Not Overwork Reward yourself for effectiveness, not effort. If you solved a problem in half the time, that’s a win—not a reason to take on more. How Leaders Can Protect High-Performers from Over-PerformanceAs a leader, you play a critical role in ensuring your teams stay in high-performance mode rather than slipping into over-performance. Here’s how: 1. Set Clear Performance Standards If success is undefined, high-performers will keep raising the bar. Define what great looks like to prevent unnecessary over-exertion. 2. Model Sustainable Work Habits If you send emails at midnight or celebrate all-nighters, your team will believe that’s the expectation. Show them that sustainable great work is the standard. 3. Recognize Effort and Efficiency Praise high-impact work, not just high-output work. Celebrate smarter ways of working instead of just more work. 4. Encourage Rest & Recovery Build in recovery periods post-high-intensity projects and normalize breaks as a performance-enhancer, not a weakness. 5. Normalize Asking for Help Over-performers often don’t delegate because they fear looking weak. Create a culture where seeking support is seen as a strategic move, not a failure. Final Thought: Sustainable Success > Short-Term Strain High-performance is valuable. Over-performance is costly. The best way to protect yourself — and your team — from burnout is to define success, manage energy and resist the urge to do more just for the sake of doing more. As an individual high-performer: What’s one area where you’ve been over-performing? Where can you shift toward a more sustainable high-performance approach? As a leader of high-performers: How can you provide more clarity about what “good” and “great” look like to prevent unnecessary over-performance on your team? I would love to hear from you! What’s one strategy you’ve used to stay in high-performance mode without crossing into over-performance or to help your team do the same? xx, Nicole Enjoy this issue? Please forward it to a friend. 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Time by Design
Are you juggling multiple non-negotiable roles (parent, founder, exec, caretaker, all the above)? Trying to "balance" and feel like you’re failing at everything? Ready to break the patterns that are keeping you stuck? Subscribe for head-led, heart-centered strategies to step out of survival mode and embrace a new Operating System for Intentional Living. Actionable strategies drop Sunday mornings. What to try. Why it Works. For When it Matters.
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