How to spot the warning signs of the career derailing Curse of Capability and three you need to answer to defeat them

You’re a consistently good performer with an excellent reputation. You’re known for your superior capabilities and your team has come to rely on you to save the day when needed. You’re successful.

But something is missing…

You know you are capable of much more, yet you don’t have the chance to extend yourself. You’re stuck in a role where you excel but you’re not there by choice. You’re there because it’s what other people want from you.

Sound familiar?

That’s one of the signs that your capability is derailing your career, but there are others to be alert for:

• Boredom
• Increasing pressure from other people to help them out
• You run from one emergency to the next to solve problems for the company
• Your day is predictable because you rarely get to try new things
• You don’t get a break because you’re always needed

While it’s nice to be needed and so good at what you do that you’re almost irreplaceable, it’s also very restrictive.

When you’re constantly limited to your area of competence, you don’t have the ability to grow. You miss out on opportunities, and you never get to find out what else you’re capable of.

I’ve seen many a good career path stalled by the curse of capability. Don’t let yours be one of them.

Ask yourself these three questions:

What do you want to do?

Think about your passions, your values, the difference you want to make in the world, the people you want to work with, and the way you want to balance your work and home life.

What are you afraid of?

Is fear of failure keeping you safe here? Are you afraid of leaving your comfort zone? There’s a degree of safety in the old familiar routine and the danger is that it dulls your senses and expectations.

What decision patterns led you to this point?

We’re all creatures of habit so our choices and decisions are predictable. When you look back, what made you say yes to the things you didn’t really want to do? What made you say no to the things that you were tempted to try? That reasoning will be the reasoning you use to make all your choices. Once you understand your past, you can take control of your future.

Knowing the answers to each question will give you a clear action for overcoming the curse of capability and getting your career onto a track of your choosing.

Now it’s up to you to decide if you want to get off the path you’re stuck on and explore new possibilities. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to download my whitepaper on The Curse of Capability, a tool to help you move forward. If you’re ready and excited about taking the next step in your career, I’d love to offer you a free one-day pass trial of my online coaching program, Career Clarity which will help you clarify your career direction and choices.

Congratulations on your capabilities. Now let’s see what else you have to offer.