Why High Achievers Mask Silent Strain
This World Mental Health Day, we’re focusing on what underpins sustained performance built on wellbeing, not achieved at the expense of it. True leadership isn’t a competition in endurance; it’s about harnessing the energy and brilliance of our uniquely human superpowers.
High achievers are often seen as the strongest people in the room. They set high standards, take on the toughest projects, and always deliver results. Yet behind the drive, many are quietly running on empty.
Everymind at Work reports that one in five senior leaders in the UK experiences burnout.
PMAC describes “High Achievers Syndrome” as a cycle of chronic overwork, difficulty switching off, sleeplessness, and the relentless pressure to raise the bar. When identity becomes tied to achievement, stepping back feels almost impossible.
High achievers are often dopaminergic – driven by dopamine, the ‘molecule of more’. High demand environments feed this neuro-chemical loo, creating a powerful yet dangerous, addiction to achievement. Many don’t realise they’re trapped in it until the wheels fall off, and even then, they may keep masking at work while their personal life quietly unravels.
At Full Potential Group we see this pattern across many organisations. High achievers are often the first to say “yes”, the last to admit when they’re struggling, and the most determined to keep pushing. That determination can be a powerful asset, but it can also become a hidden vulnerability.
Left unchecked, the very traits that fuel achievement can drain capacity and erode wellbeing, In some tragic cases, the cost can be devastating – for individuals, teams and entire organisations.
and here’s the rub
Traditional leadership programmes designed to support high achievers might actually be making things worse!
Most tend to adopt a ‘top down’ approach, focussing on skills and capabilities, but this can unintentionally pile on more pressure to perform, conform and deliver.
If we truly support their high achievers, we need a ‘bottom up’ approach, one that builds ‘capacity’ alongside ‘capability’.
Supporting high achievers isn’t about lowering ambition. It’s about protecting the capacity that makes sustained high performance possible.
Mood is the signal, Capacity is the Source
Mood is often the first red flag. Irritability, fatigue, loss of focus or persistent tension aren’t just passing states, they are biological warning lights that capacity is being stretched.
In sport and clinical psychology, mood is used to track readiness and recovery. The same should apply to leadership: when negative mood patterns persist, they sap and bias energy, clarity and impact.
Mood is the signal,
Capacity is the source,
Wellbeing is the advantage,
Sustained high performance is the result
That means recognising mood as valuable data, encouraging open conversations about pressure, and creating cultures where wellbeing is treated as a foundation of success, not an afterthought.
High performance should never come at the expense of health.
For leaders, the question isn’t whether you have high achievers in your organisation, but whether you are giving them the support they need, before silent strain becomes burnout.
When wellbeing and capacity are strengthened, leaders unlock the conditions for true transformation – in themselves, their teams, and their organisations.
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