88  The Competent Are Tired

3 Jun 2025 | Collaboration, Confidence, Defined aims, Happiness, Leadership, Purpose, Self awareness

Emma Strack

Emma spent ~20 years as a Global Restructuring Accountant at KPMG, working in the UK, Canada, the US, and Australia. Now an Executive Performance Strategist & Internationally Accredited Executive Coach, she helps leaders around the world decode how they best think, operate, & lead - using science, not guesswork. The result? Sharper thinking. Faster decisions. Stronger leadership.

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88  The Competent Are Tired

They don’t complain.
➡️  They deliver.
➡️  They pick up the slack; quietly, consistently, reliably.

And so… they get leaned on.
😮‍💨  More tasks. More trust. More responsibility.

💡 But here’s the risk:
Your most capable people often carry the most. With the least noise.
That makes them:

1️⃣  Easy to overlook.
2️⃣  Easy to overburden.
3️⃣  Easy to burn out.

🔍 Look around your team:
👉🏼 Who do you trust most?
👉🏼 Who gets things done with minimal fuss?
👉🏼 Who makes it easier for others to shine?

🛑 Stop and think:
💡 Competence without recognition leads to quiet exhaustion.
💡 And losing your most capable people is costly. In every sense.

One of my kids once said, “You always ask me first because I just do it without arguing.”
He was right. The most helpful get asked the most. True at home. True at work.

🎯 Try This Today:

🔹 Spot someone who consistently shows up.
🔹 Acknowledge them before they burnout.
🔹 Ask: “How can I support you better?”

When you recognise and re-energise your best people, you don’t just retain them, you unlock their next level of performance.

  Want to keep your best people energised?
✅  My Performance Strategy helps leaders understand how their team works best, and stay high-performing without the exhaustion.

💡 Exceptional results aren’t guessed – they’re engineered.
Lead with your strengths. Align how you operate. Use science to drive strategy.

Share freely with credit – but please don’t copy, adapt, or reproduce without permission.
Created for inspiration and reflection only. Not advice.