Career Stagnation - Why Overachievers Often Struggle to Reach The Top

Are you a middle management professional, such as a Director or manager, who aspires to become a senior executive? Do you feel that despite your performance and experience, you're not seeing the career growth you desire, and you're unsure why?

You studied hard and had a great education. You gained extensive and in-depth on-the-job experience. In your role, you work diligently, possibly putting in extra hours, striving to excel in everything you do. You might even take on additional responsibilities. Most likely, you have the right credentials and experience. You may even believe that your experience, work ethic, and results should speak for themselves. However, despite ticking all the boxes and doing everything you were supposed to do to advance, you still aren't seeing the desired outcomes, and you're perplexed as to why. After all, you've done everything necessary to move up the ladder. So, what now?

This gap between our perception of what brings results and what truly works is substantial. We tend to overly emphasize hard skills, neglecting a crucial ingredient for genuine growth. We rely on trying to prove our greatness by being the best, working tirelessly, and hoping that our results will pave the way for us. Alternatively, we may place our faith in networking, thinking that knowing the "right" people will unlock better opportunities. However, this gap, often dismissively referred to as "soft skills," can undermine the impact of even the most impressive network or lead to a dead-end in your career. Don't be fooled by the term "soft skills" – there's nothing soft about them. They are real and essential. Failing to develop these skills can have significant consequences.

Soft skills may sound intangible and easy to overlook, but they are the key to your career success. It's not a matter of choosing between expertise and interpersonal skills; you need both to thrive.

In this video, let's explore the most common career roadblocks for high achievers that stop you from reaching the top job. Some of these may come as a shock to many experienced and overachieving managers like yourself.

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1. You got yourself in trouble or upset someone by a casual remark.

It's not about how much you know; it's about how much you care.

Being a result-driven manager alone won't get you far if your behavior hinders your relationships, whether at work or at home. Your intelligence doesn't determine your success. Your mindset, behavior, and communication skills are crucial for advancing your career. Here are some common mistakes I often see:

? Placing excessive importance on credentials, education, or years of experience. ? Associating people you work with based on their identity or position rather than who they are.

? Finding it difficult to consider other people's feelings before engaging in a conversation or sharing your thoughts. You have gotten yourself into trouble or upset someone by a casual remark or the way you phrased a comment.

2. You let external events or the actions of others determine your attitude.

No one can upset you without your consent. You upset yourself when you surrender to your attitude.

External events or the actions of others cannot directly cause us to become upset unless we allow them to. It is our attitude and response to these events that ultimately determine whether we experience upset or not. When we succumb to a negative attitude, we grant power to external circumstances to impact our emotions. If we dwell on negative thoughts, view situations through a pessimistic lens, or hold onto resentment, it becomes easier to get upset and feel disturbed by external triggers.

However, we have the ability to choose our response and regain control over our emotions. We have the power to shape our experiences through our attitude. What we put out into the world is often what we receive in return. In fact, I've noticed a direct correlation between a person's attitude, including my own, and the results they achieve in life. Our attitude acts as a filter through which we perceive and interact with the world. In any given situation, how we choose to respond or react is entirely up to our state of mind, which is determined by our attitude. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

? Allowing life circumstances to dictate our mood, which can have lasting negative effects on our family life for months.

? Allowing bad moments to persist for days or weeks, during which everything seems to go wrong.

? Automatically thinking the worst and providing ourselves with a comforting excuse that we are just being realistic when faced with challenges.

3. Overachieving, Being the Best, or Going Above and Beyond

Being the best doesn't guarantee career advancement. It doesn't automatically lead to promotions, salary increases, or recognition. In fact, it can have the opposite effect. There's a difference between doing a great job and overachieving, and overachieving isn't always beneficial for your career. I made this mistake myself, spending eight years in director positions before being promoted to a VP role.

We've been conditioned to believe that being the best or going above and beyond adds extra value to the company and will result in faster promotions. However, this isn't always the case. In fact, it can make others feel intimidated or resentful, leading to jealousy and dislike. Additionally, when you consistently excel in your role, you may be seen as indispensable in fixing challenging situations, which can make it difficult for you to move up from your current position.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

? Correcting others' mistakes and striving for perfection to ensure everything is 100% correct.

? Being assigned the "challenging" projects that others seem unable to handle.

? Taking pride in over-delivering and feeling the need to do even more.

? Feeling the constant need to prove yourself, leading to excessive efforts.

By overdoing it and constantly overachieving, you may inadvertently create a perception that you are not a team player or that you are difficult to work with. It's important to find a balance between doing great work and maintaining healthy relationships with colleagues. Career advancement often requires not just exceptional performance but also the ability to collaborate effectively and demonstrate leadership qualities.

4. Working Harder, Doing More of the Same

You always have the desire to do more, but the question is:

Are you doing more of the same?

When it comes to career growth, what you need is something different, preferably something better and more strategic. Simply working hard and hoping someone will notice will leave you disappointed or frustrated. Sometimes, people work hard on tasks that ultimately don't matter.

Being exceptionally productive can also signal to organizations that you are already operating at peak capacity. Is it really a good idea to promote you and even expand your scope?

Of course, you want to meet expectations while occasionally exceeding them strategically. Additionally, establishing robust reporting and feedback loops with your leadership team is important so that they are aware of your accomplishments. Don't assume that people will automatically notice your efforts. Remember, others are preoccupied with their own concerns, not necessarily focused on your work.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

? Never "turning off" work after hours and responding at any time of the day or week.

? Believing that you have to work longer hours, arrive early, stay late, and even work weekends to prove your worth.

? Feeling a peculiar sense of pride in working long hours and even dedicating vacation time to work.

5. Getting It Done Yourself Is Faster and Results in Higher-Quality Outcomes

Driven by a desire for perfection, overachievers often struggle with delegating tasks and trusting others to deliver results. While it's commendable to figure things out independently, it's important to remember that career success is closely tied to collaboration with others. Being independent doesn't mean you should take on everything by yourself to prove your abilities. In fact, doing so can isolate you, stress out your team, and strain your relationship with your manager.

This reluctance to delegate often stems from a fear of compromising quality or losing control. However, it can result in a bottleneck in decision-making and limit growth opportunities for your team. Companies value leaders who can effectively delegate, empower others, and foster autonomy, as this allows for innovation to thrive.

Here are some common mistakes to be aware of:

? Believing that doing things yourself or figuring things out on your own makes you more intelligent, competent, or capable.

? Assuming that doing tasks yourself is faster and results in higher-quality outcomes.

? Struggling to keep your team informed about your decision-making process and progress.

6. Growth Assumptions

Believing that you should be promoted simply because you have demonstrated a strong work ethic, gone above and beyond, or invested significant time in your job or career.

Adding more years to your life doesn't automatically make you wiser. Growth and wisdom are not guaranteed with experience alone. Without practicing reflection and seeking feedback, it can be challenging to gain an objective perspective and learn from your experiences.

In many career journeys, I commonly observe people either pushing forward, wandering without direction, or drifting aimlessly. In each of these cases, assumptions about growth may be present. Even for those who are highly driven, if they fail to engage in periodic reflection and evaluation, they may experience career stagnation. One day, they might wake up to realize that they have worked hard to reach a career position they don't actually enjoy.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

? Believing that you should be promoted simply because you have demonstrated a strong work ethic, gone above and beyond, or invested significant time in your job or career.

? Falling into the trap of stepping into any available opportunity without considering how these moves may impact your long-term career goals.

? Assuming that if you are expected to learn something, your workplace should provide the necessary training and allocate the budget for it.

7. Thinking You Are Extremely Self-Aware

Even the most self-aware person only has less than a 50% realistic self-assessment. Those lacking self-awareness and with fixed mindsets can be reactive instead of thoughtfully responsive. They rely on habits rather than intentional thinking, behaving, and communicating.

You might not see your blind spots, but others can.

Self-awareness is vital for growth because you can't improve something you don't fully understand. It's time to take off the blindfold and truly understand who you are. Most importantly, identify what is holding you back from achieving your desired career results. You can't nurture something you're unaware of.

Here's the truth: Career growth is more about personal growth than hard skills.

We often have it backward, thinking we can focus on ourselves after our careers have advanced. This leads to falling for career myths, like expecting experience, hard work, and achievements to automatically bring opportunities.

Sign up for the free training: "6 Steps to Advance from Middle Management to Senior Leadership for Greater Impact and Income, even if you don't have the opportunity ".

You will learn the mistakes I made and the steps I took to advance from Director to Vice President in the two largest organizations in Sweden.

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