the rescuer role is the one that's easiest to miss in yourself specifically because it doesn't look like losing control, it looks like being helpful. saying yes to the client's extra ask or covering for the junior who's behind reads as generosity in the moment, not as a below-the-line state. it's probably the quietest of the three to catch precisely because nobody around you is complaining about it, they're thanking you for it.
the trigger-tracking exercise seems like the actual unlock here, a week of just noticing without trying to fix anything yet.
really useful framework, thanks for laying it out this clearly 🙏
Loving this thesis. The world would be a different place if we all understood our inner game and knew some pathways to strengthening it.
Super impressed and motivated and inspired by y'all (and team) who are working on this together. Language is easy to understand, too, which is awesome for communicability of traditionally stigmatized concepts (EQ, empathy, etc). Awesome awesome.
I really appreciate this perspective. I wonder if it makes sense to step back one more step and recognize whether we hold a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. I suspect most consultants operate with a growth mindset, but that fixed mindset can sometimes be a subtle influence. If you believe you have a set intelligence level or believe that you are born with particular capabilities and skills that are "natural," not learned or able to be improved, you are probably more likely to operate below the line.
Great thought. There's a strong parallel between growth mindset / above the line and fixed mindset / below the line for sure.
You're actually touching on another concept - vertical capacity development. That's the idea that we can expand our abilities to hold conflicting perspectives, manage triggers, and consider 2nd / 3rd order effects.
People who can access more advanced stages of vertical development tend to have more of a growth mindset, and typically have learnt how to recover faster when they drop below the line.
Yes! The ability to hold conflicting perspectives can be especially tricky for those who identify strongly with their own ideas. When your core personal identity is strongly associated with your intelligence or problem solving skills, conflicting views can feel like a personal attack. Pretty sure most of us have experienced this with others, it's harder to recognize in ourselves.
In vertical develoment terms there's a threshold which has "Expert" and "Achiever" sitting below it, and "Redefining" sitting above it. Dropping that commitment to being an expert or defining yourself by your acheivements is key to opening up the capacity to change things. Having someone hold a mirror up is powerful to be able to spot those edges.
Thanks for this comment! For sure, if you don’t think you can grow or change, it’s much easier to operate in a victim mindset. Things will always feel too hard, not for me, impossibile to achieve.
The uncomfortable part of the Insecure Overachiever section is that the firm has no incentive to fix it. That fear is what produces the 2am revision nobody asked for. Below-the-line is a margin input. Which is why the individual work is doable and the team-level version is genuinely hard: you're asking people to disarm the thing the model quietly runs on.
That's definitely a factor, but firms do have an incentive to manage burnout. A few years ago one of the MBB firms in London had ~15% of their Consultant grade signed off work with stress - that's a massive unproductive cost to be carrying when firms get this wrong. If a team is running below-the-line for too long all kinds of negative impacts start happening.
the rescuer role is the one that's easiest to miss in yourself specifically because it doesn't look like losing control, it looks like being helpful. saying yes to the client's extra ask or covering for the junior who's behind reads as generosity in the moment, not as a below-the-line state. it's probably the quietest of the three to catch precisely because nobody around you is complaining about it, they're thanking you for it.
the trigger-tracking exercise seems like the actual unlock here, a week of just noticing without trying to fix anything yet.
really useful framework, thanks for laying it out this clearly 🙏
Thanks Martin!
Thank you for reading, and glad to hear it resonated!
Love this perspective. Everyone talks about pressure, but the harder skill is knowing yourself well enough to self regulate through it
Thanks! Yes, self awareness is usually one of the top assets in our everyday and professional lives 👌🏼
Loving this thesis. The world would be a different place if we all understood our inner game and knew some pathways to strengthening it.
Super impressed and motivated and inspired by y'all (and team) who are working on this together. Language is easy to understand, too, which is awesome for communicability of traditionally stigmatized concepts (EQ, empathy, etc). Awesome awesome.
Thank you so much. And we will be doing a live on this, too if you’re interested in hearing more 😀 Deri has so much wisdom to share!
Hell yeah I’m interested. I’ll do my best to be there or will catch the re-cap. <3 cheers gents
Coming up in two weeks’ time - because I’m on holiday next week ☀️
Thanks Dan!
I really appreciate this perspective. I wonder if it makes sense to step back one more step and recognize whether we hold a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. I suspect most consultants operate with a growth mindset, but that fixed mindset can sometimes be a subtle influence. If you believe you have a set intelligence level or believe that you are born with particular capabilities and skills that are "natural," not learned or able to be improved, you are probably more likely to operate below the line.
Great thought. There's a strong parallel between growth mindset / above the line and fixed mindset / below the line for sure.
You're actually touching on another concept - vertical capacity development. That's the idea that we can expand our abilities to hold conflicting perspectives, manage triggers, and consider 2nd / 3rd order effects.
People who can access more advanced stages of vertical development tend to have more of a growth mindset, and typically have learnt how to recover faster when they drop below the line.
Yes! The ability to hold conflicting perspectives can be especially tricky for those who identify strongly with their own ideas. When your core personal identity is strongly associated with your intelligence or problem solving skills, conflicting views can feel like a personal attack. Pretty sure most of us have experienced this with others, it's harder to recognize in ourselves.
In vertical develoment terms there's a threshold which has "Expert" and "Achiever" sitting below it, and "Redefining" sitting above it. Dropping that commitment to being an expert or defining yourself by your acheivements is key to opening up the capacity to change things. Having someone hold a mirror up is powerful to be able to spot those edges.
I like that framing!
Thanks for this comment! For sure, if you don’t think you can grow or change, it’s much easier to operate in a victim mindset. Things will always feel too hard, not for me, impossibile to achieve.
The uncomfortable part of the Insecure Overachiever section is that the firm has no incentive to fix it. That fear is what produces the 2am revision nobody asked for. Below-the-line is a margin input. Which is why the individual work is doable and the team-level version is genuinely hard: you're asking people to disarm the thing the model quietly runs on.
That's definitely a factor, but firms do have an incentive to manage burnout. A few years ago one of the MBB firms in London had ~15% of their Consultant grade signed off work with stress - that's a massive unproductive cost to be carrying when firms get this wrong. If a team is running below-the-line for too long all kinds of negative impacts start happening.
That’s madness! Thanks for sharing this stat 😱
Agreed! Thanks for reading 😀
Love the framework to get back above the line! Saving it for my future tasks and deadlines.
Thank you for sharing this! We’re very happy to hear it’s useful 🤩
Glad you found it useful. I find I get opportunities to practice it every day 😂