Workaholics & Insecurity
Have you ever noticed how the “smartest” people in the room are often the most insecure? I’ve never understood this phenomenon until a friend of mind pointed me to a famous profile of the McKinsey consulting firm (here). In business circles, McKinsey is known for being one of the top firms for super “bright” and ambitious consultants. These employees advise Fortune 500 companies around the world and are renown for “problem solving” par excellence. However, the firm is also known as fostering a culture of overly ambitious, competitive, and elitist staff.
How does this happen? The answer lies in what McKinsey looks for in its employees.
The profile of their consultants is three-fold (see page 6 of the article):
- Super smart
- Insecure (what??!!)
- Competitive
The first criterion is easy to understand and rationalize. The data around test scores, school pedigree, and quantifiable achievements are verifiable and, arguably, translate into job performance. However, the second and third criteria prove more troubling.
As an organization, McKinsey understands the cycle of creating workaholics. The process goes like this:
- Hire a Smart Person who is hyper-focused on being smart relative to others.
- Make sure the Smart Person knows how they stack up to others, to fan the flames of insecurity.
- Reward the Smart Person who steps up his or her performance to better compete with other Smart People.
- When the Smart Person wins a comparison match, make sure their victory is short-lived by surrounding them with other Smart People who are insecure, competitive, and gunning for a “win” themselves.
And so it goes.
The cycle works for McKinsey and other organizations because it ensures that everyone brings his or her “A Game” to the office. Although you can dismiss this hiring practice as uncommon, predatory, or ridiculous, don’t miss the broader point; the smartest people in the room are working like mad in an attempt to keep their insecurities at bay.
I wish this cycle were limited to the intellectual elite. But I think the smart/insecure/competitive cycle plays out on the home front, in academic environments, and even Facebook.
Anyone with workaholic tendencies regardless of the environment, are trapped in a similar vortex. Insecurities have lots of ugly sides, but the one that seems to do the most damage is the competition it fosters. The constant need for a “win” ultimately strips away a person’s ability to enjoy their life's work and to have healthy relationships with others.
But how can you stop the cycle?
Before anything changes, you have to recognize and be AWARE of your workaholic tendencies. (If you're not sure, ask your friends or family; they can tell you.) Then you need to tell someone that you're struggling with the cycle. Finally, you have to take practical steps to get out of the achievement vortex. The people who live outside of this madness seem to use three simple (not easy) techniques.
- Stop playing the Comparison Game by embracing your own unique strengths.
- Practice humility by placing yourself in the permanent role of student.
- Celebrate others, thus disarming jealousy.
These disciplines lift unnecessary pressure at work, home, or in the classroom and make life more manageable and joyful.
After all, do you really want to be the smartest person in the room or would you rather be a more secure version of you?