Latest news with #highAchievers
Washington Post
09-07-2025
- General
- Washington Post
I want my kids to have the close sibling relationship that I never had
Dear Meghan: I come from a dysfunctional family where everyone is high achieving, but no one is close to one another. Growing up, emotional well-being and relationship building were not valued, only grades and achievements. Even now, what's important to my family are superficial things like jobs, titles, looking good in a holiday picture, etc.
Forbes
10-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Why Doing More Doesn't Work—And What Does: The Formula For Fulfillment
We've been told a story: that success—authentic, fulfilling, legacy-worthy success—comes from doing more. More hustle. More goals. More boards. More self-care. More impact. More everything. But for many high-achieving leaders, that story is starting to fall apart. In quiet moments—on the plane, before the Zoom room opens, late at night—there's often a quiet pulse: Is this it? Despite the accomplishments, there's a feeling of incompleteness. A missing 1%. And here's what I've come to believe, after decades of working with purpose-driven leaders, building the Lead in 3D framework, and testing it in boardrooms and barns: Doing more—especially in one area—inevitably leads to diminishing returns. Doing more of the 'right' thing can achieve a certain amount of success, but then it stops working. But there's a powerful alternative. And it's the key to unlocking the formula for fulfillment. Economists have long used farming to illustrate the concept of diminishing returns. Imagine a farmer with a fixed plot of land, a set amount of seed, and a labor force. Adding more land won't help if there aren't enough workers or seed to use it. Doubling the seed won't produce double the harvest if the land and labor stay the same. Eventually, pushing on just one lever flattens out—and the marginal benefit shrinks. This isn't just economics—it's how many of us live and lead. We go all in on one dimension: Each of these is admirable. But when pursued alone, they eventually stall. They top out. And they often leave us burned out, disconnected, or quietly unsatisfied. This is the diminishing returns trap. It's linear, fragile, and finite. In the world of technology, we've embraced exponential growth. Moore's Law. AI processing speed. Digital integration. We accept that computing power doubles every 18–24 months, and that innovation feeds on itself. But when it comes to our own growth—our fulfillment, our impact, our joy—we're still thinking in straight lines. We over-invest in one area and hope it will carry us all the way. It won't. You might have seen this more directly in your business: You hire a new salesperson—but don't increase your lead volume. No surprise, they don't drive revenue. More effort in one lane can't create exponential returns on its own. Many high performers structure their lives like a monocrop—intensive, high-yielding, but vulnerable to disruption. A 3D-aligned leader builds a regenerative system, more like permaculture—diverse, resilient, and self-sustaining. Authentic and sustainable success comes from as diverse a set of inputs as a healthy farm plot. Here's the insight: When we invest across multiple aligned dimensions—what I call ME, WE, and WORLD—we don't just grow. We compound. Leading in 3D means aligning your time, energy, and attention toward: When all three are in motion, the returns don't just add up—they multiply. Clarity in your ME strengthens your leadership in WE. Meaning in your WORLD fuels your stamina. Boundaries in ME prevent burnout in WE. And so on. This is the formula for fulfillment:Compounding returns = (ME + WE + WORLD) x Alignment The more congruent your investments across these dimensions, the more momentum you generate—and the more exponential your results become. The blue line shows the power of compounding growth that results from Leading in 3D, rather than the ... More diminishing returns of a one-dimensional approach. This 3D approach to leadership aligns with research on intrinsic motivation—what Daniel Pink outlines in Drive as autonomy, mastery, and purpose. When we invest across all three, we don't just perform better. We live better, with sustainable fuel to persist, particularly through challenging times. That quiet ache of 'Is this it?'—even at the height of outward success—isn't a failure of drive. It's usually a failure of balance. I know because I've lived it. In my earlier career, I spent nearly a decade in the nonprofit sector, pouring everything into WORLD. Every role brought me closer to the front lines—until I was embedded in a refugee community, doing work that felt meaningful and urgent. It was mission-driven. It was good. But it was also unsustainable. I was so focused on making a difference that I neglected WE—my closest relationships, a viable business model, the people who needed me outside the work. I neglected ME—my energy, my health, my own professional growth and personal joy. The consequences were real: my first marriage ended. I missed my dad's funeral. That's when I realized the truth: Even purpose, when pursued in isolation, can push us into the red. The good news is, that ache—the missing 1%—is a signal. Not of failure, but of opportunity. It's an invitation to rebalance. To align. To lead in 3D. So ask yourself: If so, you're likely living in the diminishing returns curve. The path forward isn't about pushing harder. It's about pulling your life back into alignment. You don't need another productivity hack. You don't need another degree, another board seat, or another hour tacked onto your already-overflowing calendar. What you need—what most high performers quietly crave—is alignment. A formula for fulfillment that compounds, not just accumulates. So here's your challenge:Stop asking, 'What more can I do?' Start asking, 'Where am I underinvesting?' Because that's where the missing 1% lives. And when you shift from single-focus effort to integrated, intentional alignment— That's when you stop burning fuel and start building fire. That's the curve worth riding. Align your Me, We, and World investments to find your wave to ride to fulfillment.
Fast Company
25-05-2025
- Fast Company
4 ways high-achievers use tech to get more done
BY Technology can be a double-edged sword. The right amount can fuel productivity, but too much can become a time waste. As with most things, the key is striking a healthy balance. Unfortunately, the deck is stacked against you. Apps and websites are designed to grab and hold your attention. So, how do successful people resist? 'High-achievers use technology as a tool, not a distraction,' says Sachin Puri, chief growth officer at the web-hosting provider Liquid Web. 'They make productivity apps their first priority, plan for intentional screen time, and select platforms intentionally. They may spend lots of time on screens, but they set boundaries where they need to, so that technology enhances their performance, rather than slowing it down.' To determine how high-achievers leverage tech, Liquid Web surveyed six-figure earners who excel in their careers to discover the habits and strategies they use to maximize productivity and minimize time wasting. Here's what they found: They Are Intentional with Screen Time High-achievers spend an average of seven hours a day on their computers, which is a good chunk of time. However, they are primarily focused on activities that fall under the 'productivity' umbrella, choosing sites that enhance and not hinder their career growth.
RNZ News
23-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
How to conquer your inner critic
Many of us suffer from Imposter Syndrome, when the inner critic in us doesn't think we are good enough. Even former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern spoke about it in her speech at Yale this week. Alison Shamir is an expert in this field and has written a book called Conquer Your Imposter, a guide to help high achievers reclaim their self-worth. She told Jesse how we can conquer Imposter Syndrome. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
14-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- RNZ News
Feature interview: how your siblings shape your life
Parents unleash the arrow of ambition in their children, but siblings are often the ones who help guide its direction says Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times staff writer Susan Dominus. After a lifetime of curiosity about the ecosystems of families, Dominus set out to discover what families of high-achieving siblings had in common including the values, habits, and everyday rituals, like dinnertime conversations that influenced their children to hit the bullseye in their lives and work. Her book is called The Family Dynamic: A Journey into the Mystery of Sibling Success. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
