The old supposition was that organizations hire or promote people until they reach their ‘level of incompetence’, after which, their careers stall or go in reverse.
But that presupposes a static view of talent that is best signified by the ‘personality test’, a measure of our traits that can too easily morph (or metastasize) into an excuse.
What if it isn’t incompetence but fear that limits most careers? What if some people reach a point in their lives, beyond which they’re unwilling to challenge themselves? Unwilling to expend the energy and take the risks that sustained improvement mandates?
But true change requires that we take a first step: We need to develop the necessary self-awareness to recognize that when our inner voices are telling us, “That probably won’t work out.” or “We got this far on hard work and talent. Why fix what isn’t broke?” that it’s a defense mechanism desperately trying to keep us safe inside of our fox hole. Recognition makes it possible to begin the hard work of deliberate practice so that when our fear starts speaking to us, our accomplishments in the face of it will keep the voice in its proper place.