The Curse of Competence

"Rachel (not her real name) is the go-to person at work for everything, from helping you perfect your presentation, to unjamming the copier. She can get meetings with high-level people organized in record time, fix spreadsheets so that they make sense, mentor rising stars, and deliver presentations in a way that gets people motivated to take action. Everyone relies on Rachel because she's so competent at so many different tasks. It's almost as if she's a specialist in everything."

"Everyone knows they can count on you to get things done right, the first time-on time and on budget (likely early and below budget). But here lies the paradox: Your breadth of skills can overshadow the depth of your expertise. There is a competence bias: People equate "good at everything" with "indispensable where they are," not "promotable to the next level." They can't lose you (meaning they can't promote you) because if so, who would take over your tasks?"

"But despite her reliability, she feels overlooked for promotions or recognition. Sound familiar? Why does being so good at so many things sometimes hold us back? The Curse of Competence Being highly capable across multiple domains often means you're continually asked to do more. Everyone knows they can count on you to get things done right, the first time-on time and on budget (likely early and below budget)."

A person who is highly capable across many tasks often becomes the default fixer and support resource. Wide-ranging competence can obscure perceived depth of expertise, creating a competence bias that frames someone as indispensable rather than promotable. Organizations and leaders may pigeonhole competent generalists into support roles, producing stagnation, invisibility, and frustration despite high output. Escaping the curse requires deliberate changes: choose a focus area, set boundaries around routine responsibilities, delegate or document tasks, and explicitly signal expertise and career goals to decision-makers. Focus, boundaries, and clear signaling enable movement beyond indispensability.

Read at Psychology Today