Are you burned out because you have too much work, or because you're carrying the work AND the performance?
Sometimes the pressure we feel at work isn't coming from anyone else. Nobody told us we weren't capable. Nobody said we didn't belong. Yet somewhere along the way, we created an audience in our heads and started performing for them.
I know because I caught myself doing it.
In this episode of Konshuhs Agility, I unpack The Performance, a Scoreboard Principle about leadership, confidence, burnout, and the pressure high performers can place on themselves to constantly prove their value.
After stepping into a new role, I was asked to review a struggling project and determine whether I could help. Instead of reviewing the schedule, assessing my existing commitments, and making an informed decision, I immediately said yes.
Why?
Because somewhere underneath the confidence was something else: I wanted to prove that I belonged.
That realization led me to three leadership principles I'm still learning today.
In this episode, we'll explore:
• Why capability and capacity are not the same thing
• How competence can become part of the costume
• Why experienced leaders evaluate whether they should, not simply whether they can
• How to recognize when leadership requires you to step onto the stage and when it's time to step aside
• Why speaking more doesn't necessarily mean you're leading more
• How always being the problem solver can turn you into the bottleneck
• Why asking before answering can develop stronger problem-solvers
• How to lead without constantly needing to prove your value
The three principles:
1. Competence Can Become Part of the Costume
Being capable is an asset. Feeling obligated to constantly demonstrate your capability can become a trap.
2. Know When You're on the Stage
Leadership isn't about making yourself smaller. It's learning when the moment needs your voice, your expertise, your questions, or your silence.
3. Don't Confuse Leading With Solving
Sometimes leadership requires you to make the call. Other times, your responsibility is to help the people around you develop the answer.
The goal isn't to stop performing.
The goal is to become intentional about your performance.
Step up when the moment requires you. Step aside when someone else needs the opportunity to lead.
And ask yourself:
If you knew without question that you belonged in the room, what would you stop trying to prove?
📘 The Project Management Lab
Resources for project managers ready to move beyond certifications and replace uncertainty with confidence:
https://pxl.to/edwardcokejr
🎥 Watch the video version on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ozcpQsdaxhs
If you're ready to move beyond certifications and become the leader your team deserves, The Project Management Lab exists to help project managers replace uncertainty with confidence.
Keep learning. Keep experimenting. Keep building one brick at a time.
Steps and reps beat talent when talent doesn't do the reps.
