The link between overachievement and workplace burnout

It took a health scare for Fleur Marks to realise she was pushing herself beyond her limits in her career. The leadership expert and author of The Overachiever’s Reset was diagnosed with two serious illnesses in quick succession.

“I faced two years fighting for my life, countless rounds of chemotherapy, immunotherapy and steroids, just to get my body back under control,” she says.

Until that point, Marks had hit goal after goal in her professional life.

“On the outside, I looked like the definition of success.” Internally, however, she felt empty. “I was beginning to question how much longer I could keep it up, juggling all these roles.”

She soon realised she would need to redefine success and reset her mindset to build a more sustainable career.

High- versus over-achievers

From the outside, little distinguishes a high achiever from an overachiever. The difference is internal, says leadership strategist Moran Baillie.

“For high achievers, their self-worth is not connected to how much they achieve, whereas with overachievers, there is a direct link between achievement and their sense of self-worth.”

High performers and overachievers view success differently.

“High achievers set realistic goals and show up as competent and self-aware, and display a high level of emotional intelligence. They use failure as fuel for their learning and growth, and generally speaking, they tend to play to their strengths. So, whatever they do, they do it well,” Baillie says.

Overachievers are often driven by a fear of failure rather than a drive for success.

“The result is basically self-sabotage: doing things like setting unrealistic expectations,” she continues. “When they are failing, it can trigger feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.”

Burnout is also a problem. “Overachievers exceed their own boundaries,” Baillie says. “It pushes them to the anxiety zone, so they constantly feel that they are missing the mark and they are not good enough.”

The problem with overachievement — an issue Baillie sees often in her role as a coach — is that it is ultimately unsustainable.

“That is why you have a lot of mid-career dropout, especially among women,” she says. “It becomes too difficult.”

Many overachievers are shaped by the reward and recognition they received for achievement as young people. It is a problem that continues into the workplace. Society rewards overachievers, observes Marks.

“We hear how hard they work: they worked the weekend, they stayed up all night, and that is revered,” she says. “Of course you have got to work hard, but it becomes an issue when it goes beyond what is a normal expectation of a human being.”

The end of overachievement

Self-awareness is vital to overcoming overachievement. A frank self-evaluation can reveal the root cause of the behaviour, Marks says.

“Ask, ‘What is driving me to operate this way?’, especially if it is costing you in other areas of your life, whether that is your relationships or your health.”

The next step is to find clarity on individual values, purpose and goals. “Be clear on what success looks like — that is different for all of us,” Marks says. This knowledge enables professionals to approach their work life strategically.

“If you are getting to the end of the week and it has all been a blur and you have just been reacting to urgent tasks, that is a good signal for you to step back and ask, ‘What really matters to me here? If I did one thing today, what is going to create impact or move me closer to what matters to me?’”

For Marks, the answer was surprising.

“I learned early on that rest is a strategy that gives you perspective,” she says. Marks began building downtime into her schedule, even if it was just 10 minutes between back-to-back meetings to reset rather than racing from one task to the next. She also learned to be kind to herself.

“Remember that you are showing up and doing your best,” she says.

Sense check

Taking a more sustainable approach to achievement can be challenging, Marks acknowledges. “It is going against the norm.” But, she believes, “If you do not value your time, no one else will”.

Engaging in regular “sense-checking” can help ensure boundaries are upheld. “Ask, ‘Do I need to go to 27 meetings this week? Where can I add the most value?’” Marks says. “It requires being brave enough to own your value, but also to communicate that to others: ‘This is what I can do, this is what I cannot do, and this is why it is going to deliver more value’. Be really clear around that impact and tie it back to what matters for the business.”

She also says it is important to respect personal limits. “You only have so much capacity and you want to show up with a full tank instead of an empty one.”

Authenticity at work

Organisations benefit from encouraging employees to adopt a more sustainable working life.

“As leaders, they make better decisions, and they focus on what matters,” Marks says. “But, more than that, they are modelling to their team what it looks like to be a good leader. They are being authentic, rather than putting on a mask or pretending it is all fine.”

This type of leadership resonates with younger generations, she says. “Younger employees do not see success as an endurance race; they see it in terms of their purpose and their ability to create impact within their work environment.”

A more engaged workforce is also a win from a business point of view.

“The organisation benefits from things like better decision-making and staff retention, but also in terms of creating an environment where people feel they belong and can bring their whole selves to work,” Marks says. “If we are asking people to leave their life at the door, we will not get the best out of people as leaders or as individuals.”

 

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