When Being Good At Your Job Backfires

You ever hear that line, “Move with the confidence of a mediocre white man”? The idea that you can be aggressively average and still land on your feet, maybe even fail up?

Yeah. Turns out that energy isn’t exclusive.

In most of my work endeavors I’ve operated on the “excellence or nothing” plan. Overdeliver. Outperform. Outshine. I genuinely believed the formula was simple: go above and beyond and you’ll be met with the oohs and ahhs, the promotion, the pay bump, the gold star of validation. Effort in, reward out. Clean math.

Except… not quite.

Today my supervisor texted me asking if I could sub for a “challenging” class while a newbie gets to teach my beloved class. Naturally, I asked why the newbie couldn’t step in. His response? He needed someone he could trust. Someone who’s good at what they do.

On paper, that’s a compliment. In practice, it felt backhanded. Like my competence just volunteered me for the hard stuff… again. I do the heavy lifting, someone else gets the lighter load (and the easier win). Where’s the ROI on excellence? Because at this point, the math is mathing a little sideways.

And it’s not the first time.

For a second, I wondered if maybe I just have terrible luck when it comes to catching even the smallest break. But then I started thinking about the “nice” people, the ones who are endlessly generous, always available, perpetually dependable. The moment they say no, it’s scandalous. How dare they have boundaries?

Meanwhile, I’ve had moments where I’ve been, hmm, let’s say, selectively warm. A little edge, a little firmness, just a sprinkle of “don’t play with me.” And somehow? Applause. Respect. Elevated. Put on a throne for doing far less.

So now I’m sitting with this uncomfortable but intriguing theory: maybe being exceptional all the time isn’t the flex we think it is. Maybe strategic average with a curated dose of restraint is part of the “work smart” manifesto they’ve been talking about.

Because if excellence keeps assigning you the hardest class in the building, maybe the real power move isn’t doing more.

Maybe it’s doing just enough..and letting that be enough.