Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion unlearning learnt underachievement in GT adults

HowlerKarma,

Haha! I always say I have two modes, Think-Mode and Work-Mode. When I am in Work Mode, get going or get out the way.

I just had to learn to jumpstart Work-Mode sooner and I also learned to do more tedious things while in Think-Mode, so that progress was still being made. It helps that I am a professor. I can do tedious things in non-office settings which still allows me to continue to be relaxed, alone and stay in Think-Mode.

Something to keep in mind... If his boss has already determined he is constantly underachieving or has negative impressions of him, it is going to be very difficult to change that viewpoint and have people see the new changes without a big change. Some managers may detect the poitive changes and try to help, but I have also seen too many times that many people tend to hold on to earlier opinions of who you are regardless of whay you do. Any effort he makes has to be internally driven, and he may have to figure out how to keep up with positive changes even if initially people around him are not able to support him in ways that will help him hold on to those changes.

(Now if only I can figure out how to get a coworker to understand why he is constantly passed over for promotions or why some - most - of my team don't show him the same level of leadership and respect as others on my team... But I have given up on that person for the most part... If after 5 years, he does not get it, I doubt he will suddenly wake up and figure it out and I am tired)

Here's my $0.02 sans sugar coating.

More than one issue at play here:-

1. He is making the classic 'logical/rational' person's mistake of thinking that everyone else is rational - they aren't. This causes him to get frustrated with them, they see that and resent it.

2. He needs to find another job - people at his current company have already written him off. The biases have been set in their minds and now everything he does that is good will be ignored and everything bad that confirms those biases will be exaggeratedly noticed.

3. He needs to understand that in a corporate environment people (especially bosses) are optimizing for the WIIFM constraint and almost never for the 'how can we meet the company's goals in the most optimal way?' constraint. This can seem like blatant hypocrisy until you realise that this is just how it is. The lion must feed, right?

4. He needs to loosen up, not expect so much from others and consider this 'rule'; bosses expect him to do his best not the bare minimum.

Sorry if anything above seems harsh because I am honestly trying to help as I was in the same rut as him in my early twenties.

Madeinuk raises important points.

In other cases a gifted adult may be treated as a pariah in the workplace for performing too well and unintentionally "raising the bar" for coworkers and competitors, especially in jobs/careers/projects which are of keen interest, which the gifted adult is well-suited for, and which may seem to come naturally to them. For example, being termed a workaholic may be a misread of gifted intensity in an individual who works hard and also plays hard. In these instances, gifted adults may need to be aware of constructive dismissal.

As much as childhood experiences may teach underperformance or underachievement, career experiences may also teach gifted adults to hold back and hide their gifts and talents.