The Reward for Being Your Most Dependable Person Is... More Work?

The Pattern Nobody Designs

Every organization has that person. The one whose name comes up every time something important needs to get done. The one who delivers early, fixes problems before they surface, and carries more than their share without being asked.

And the reward for all of that? More work.

Not a development conversation. Not a question about where they want to grow. More projects. More coverage. More cleanup from the colleagues who are less dependable.

The implicit message, never stated and never intended, is that excellence is a tax.

What It Actually Costs One Of Our Clients

We are working with a leadership team right now navigating exactly this.

One person’s name kept surfacing in every conversation. She had delivered on a high-visibility project ahead of schedule. So they gave her another one. Then another. At her annual review she received the highest performance rating on the team.

Her compensation increase was nearly identical to a colleague who had struggled to deliver on a single project.

Our CEO and head coach, Josh, sat with her leader afterward and asked a simple question: where does she want to grow next?

The leader paused. Then said, honestly: we have never asked her that. We just keep giving her more because we know she will deliver.

That is not development. That is exploitation. Taking advantage of someone is a fast way to lose them. The best people do not stay where their potential is extracted rather than developed.

Strong performers do not burn out from work. They burn out from performance punishment. And once they see it clearly, they do not argue. They do not beg. They exit quietly and take the engine with them.

The Question Worth Asking Before Q4 Closes

Who are the people your organization calls on every time something important needs to get done?

When did you last ask them where they want to grow?

The full argument is in this month’s blog. The role before the person. What building actually looks like. The questions worth sitting with as you head into Q4.

Read: Your Best People Are Being Watched. Are They Being Built?

Two Ways to Start Building This Week

The 5 Cs of Effective Leadership & Teamwork Virtual Mastermind Series begins Monday October 19. Four sessions. Practical frameworks for leaders who are ready to build the common language their teams need to perform at their best.

Register here for The 5 Cs of Effective Leadership & Teamwork Virtual Mastermind Series

The Arrive. Leadership Academy October Cohort begins October 27. Four live sessions built around the 5 Cs. Practical tools. Peer learning across industries. For the rising leaders your organization is counting on to carry Q4 forward.

Register here for The Arrive. Leadership Academy

One Thing Worth Knowing This Week

The organizations that finish Q4 with their best people intact made a deliberate investment before the pile on became the only signal those people were receiving.

The window is right now.

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