The surprising downside of high-performing employees

High-performing employees are valued by organizational leaders for good reason. They’re reliable, adaptable, and willing to step in when something needs to get done. When responsibilities are unclear or processes break down, they figure it out. When a team is stretched thin, they pick up the slack. And because they consistently deliver, leaders learn that they can give them more. However, Lauren Cohen, JD, founder of Cohen Leadership Group, a boutique leadership advisory firm that helps fast-growing companies build scalable leadership systems, says herein lies a paradox: These capable employees can also mask organizational weaknesses. As the most reliable people take on more and more work, they allow companies to keep operating despite underdeveloped leadership systems. What initially looks like an individual strength can therefore become an organizational liability and, over time, a recipe for burnout. I spoke to Cohen about the idea. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/cupofambition.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_…