The 3 Types of Underachievers

The 1993 movie “A Bronx Tale” tells the story of a teenaged boy, Calogero, facing the temptations of an easy but crime-infested mafia life vs. staying on the blue-collar path of his bus-driving father, Lorenzo. 

“The saddest thing in life is wasted talent,” Lorenzo tells his son.

Why would anyone waste his/her talent? Why would anyone with a chance to utilize their God-given skillset not strive for greatness, not stay on the hard-working path?

And yet, we see it all the time in underachievers.

Underachievers are the biggest tease on teams or in the workforce. They demonstrate skills that can be dominant at times; yet, they don’t display these regularly. The inconsistencies are maddening. They disappear, they seem lackluster and they leave the coach/leader wanting more. 

We often wonder, “How I can change this behavior? How can I make them more consistent?” They bring us enormous stress, and we grow frustrated that we can’t change this behavior despite the seemingly endless opportunities we provide them.

But not all underachievers are alike. Too often, we label them under one umbrella and are left wondering why some adapt, while others never realize their full potential. We ask, is their lack of consistency due to our own inability to bring out the best in them each day? 

There are 3 types of underachievers and unless we evaluate each correctly, there’s a good chance we’ll waste time and money trying to change them.

1. TYPE 1: A.W.N.C. — All Work, No Compete. This type is all work, but when the game is important or on the line, lacks the competitive fire to handle the situation. If the path to success is easy, requiring little or no competitive fiber, then this player will dazzle the leaders, only to leave them wanting more at the biggest moments. Most leaders fall in love with this player, not being able to separate hard work from competitiveness. 

2. Type 2: N.W.N.C. — No Work, No Compete. This player shows the rare talent to perform at the highest level but is indifferent to being great. It’s almost as if he/she feels cursed with talent and has zero interest in performing. This type of person is easy to spot as their past is riddled with a great moment of talent with vast moments of nothing. 

3. Type 3: N.W.C.H. — No Work, Competes Hard. This type of player who lacks solid work habits will ultimately underachieve because of the lack of dedication to the preparatory work needed. Before a game or big event, the lack of work habits becomes unsettling, but when the lights come on, this person will try to do his/her best. 

We must realize that the only underachiever who can change is Type 3. If the person has pride and a competitive spirit, we can improve their work habits. But the other two are time wasters and need to be removed immediately. 

Having talent is meaningless without being competitive. That’s ultimately “wasted talent.”

Please forward and share this email with your friends and family.