4 Reasons Why Talented Professionals Don’t Reach Their Full Potential
I see many talented people as an executive coach and know many can achieve extraordinary things. However, not all of them end up reaching their full potential. Why? It’s not because they are not competent; it’s because of the following four reasons.
Here’s my top four
❇️They stop learning ❇️They leave big career decisions for another day ❇️They don’t manage their brand ❇️They treat networking as an afterthought
Imagine The following:
Tod worked at a prestigious law firm in central London. He had excellent grades, had been to great schools, and worked his way through to Gresham & Taylor Law firm, an established company with over 10,000 staff that had been around for over 100 years.
Tod turned up on his first day and was eager to prove himself because he wanted to shine and rise the ranks quickly. He did especially well in the first couple of years. However, he was passed over for promotion at the end of the second year, and with that, his motivation levels went downward, too.
Tod struggled to get his head around as to what went wrong. He took the decision personally and went to see his manager again. Jacob, his manager, mentioned that despite his hard work and success, the management team felt he needed to get more client-facing work under his belt and manage more significant matrix projects.
Deep down, Tod knew this was true. He realised that he’d been working harder and not smarter, like Alex, who started working at the company at the same time as Tod. Alex had a different approach to her career and was more active with building her network and looking after the ‘Alex Brand, ‘ as Tod called it.
Alex was always busy learning new things but didn’t know what because she was busy most evenings and would leave to go somewhere. It struck Tod that she was also learning a lot off the job. Tod knew Alex didn’t get a promotion either, and it didn’t bother her.
He knew why because Alex came in on Friday and handed in her resignation as she’d been offered a plum role in a competitor company. Hats off to Alex, thought Tod. Alex played well because she’s going on gardening leave immediately and starting the new company in three months.
Today, Tod invited Alex for lunch, and Alex told him about her new position. He was genuinely happy for her and knew it was time to “pull his socks up”. He decided to book a holiday as he still had much time before the year ended.
Tod went to Singapore via Dubai, where his sister is based. She worked at a big bank and seemed to be doing very well. Sarah seemed to be working fewer hours than Tod and was more upbeat. She had a better social life, too. Judging from her Instagram account, she was having lots of fun, too. Tod started to rethink his career while staying with her for a few days before leaving for Singapore.
The siblings had dinner at Social House in Downtown Dubai, and Sarah sensed something was happening with Tod. She was only three years older than him and knew something was bugging him at work. Tod told Sarah about being passed over, and she told him not to worry.
Sarah told Tod to move out to Dubai because there were plenty of opportunities. She also mentioned an article written by Pervin Shaikh. The article gave four reasons why professionals don’t reach their full potential. Tod thought, ‘That sounds like me’.
Four Reasons
- They Stop Learning
Pervin said that many get put off by learning because it brings back school memories. However, learning comes in many forms in the 21st Century, and it can be online, offline, in conversations, or through short vocational courses. It is essential to design your learning based on your preferences.
Tod loved learning and tried to read widely, but his recent work commitments meant he couldn’t read what he wanted. When he had lunch with Alex, she told him that her mastermind book club kept her on her toes. The other attendees were voracious readers and enjoyed sharing book titles with her.
Alex also told Tod not to wait for the company to help with upskilling. Instead, he should get busy creating his learning plan and learn from different people and sources.
2. They leave big career decisions for another day
Many professionals think they are in control of their careers, but over time, they let go, and career decisions don’t take priority as they once did. Why? It’s not because they can’t be bothered; they get busy with work and deadlines, and anything related to careers becomes “I’ll think about it later’.
In Tod’s case, he was doing all the right things by working toward and achieving his goals. However, he took his foot off the accelerator and hoped his boss would recognise his contribution. Alex, on the other, had managed both. Unlike Tod, who was in the passenger seat, she was in the driving seat of her career. Had he continued, he would have ended up in the back seat.
3. They don’t manage their brand
We all have something unique to offer, and in today’s world, there is no excuse not to share your message with others. Pervin suggested being proud of your online brand.
You don’t need to be an influencer or showbiz icon to think about your online presence. Anyone and everyone who has access to the internet can build a personal or professional brand. I believe it’s a great way to document your journey, especially if you’re aspiring for more visibility.
However, creating your online brand doesn’t happen by magic. Instead, you have to do your bit to craft your legacy because no one has a vested interest in your career than you. It is easy to get complacent, but in today’s world, you can be anything except complacent.
4. They treat networking as an afterthought
Alex was busy networking online and offline. She also enjoyed connecting with alums from her university on LinkedIn. Over time, she started posting about specific law or professional development issues on Linkedin. Alex got her new job through networking, and one of her contacts forwarded her details about the hiring company.
Alex enjoyed the meeting because it was an informal discussion about the role. Shortly after that, she was invited to apply officially. Not only was this a smart move, but it gave Alex an extra boost. Alex didn’t know that the hiring company noticed her LinkedIn posts and liked her profile.
Parting Comments
Yesterday’s mindset is already obsolete for tomorrow’s world. What does this mean? What you’ve learnt yesterday won’t be enough to deal with the challenges of tomorrow. What’s even more surprising is how quickly this lack of positioning creeps up on you, too. How? It’s easy to leave learning off for ‘Maybe Tomorrow’, but there’s a significant danger: you end up playing the never-ending catch-up game.
When you jump into the driving seat of your career, you’ll feel more confident in dealing with career uncertainties. When you are proactive in learning and seeking new skills, you’ll learn as you go along on the playing field instead of watching from the sidelines. The playing field is fun because that’s where the action is.
We’ve seen two contrasting characters — Tod and Alex. Both intelligent and highly competent. Alex showed us what is needed to thrive in one’s career by taking control and being more hands-on, which is the opposite approach adopted by Tod.
What happened to Tod? After his trip to Dubai and Singapore, Tod came back energised and ready to jump into the driving seat of his career. He also started feeling more confident about his work and potential new opportunities. Tod was interviewing for a prominent law firm that had recently relocated to Dubai and wanted someone from London to manage a team of lawyers.
Thank you for your attention.
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