How high performers leave behind the competence trap
I’ve changed careers multiple times, and the hardest part is always 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 — the competence trap that keeps so many high performers stuck.
Last May, I ran a workshop on building a career legacy for 50+ Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recruits across 6 Southeast offices. Naturally, the question of career change comes up: "How do you transition from being really good at what you do to doing what really matters?"
On paper, the risks are financial. What if I fail? There will be consequences if consulting, entrepreneurship, or any new path doesn’t work out.
But emotionally, the real hurdle is trading assured competence for the uncertainty of a beginner. Am I too old to be a "trainee" again?
When you've built your whole identity around being competent, being a novice feels cringed. You know exactly how bad you’ll be, how long it took to get here, and you’ve seen others fail when they left what they knew.
It happens like this:
You get good at something → you get rewarded → your identity becomes "the person who's good at X" → anything new feels like a threat to who you are.
I've known many people who stayed in jobs for 15+ years not because they loved them, but because leaving meant admitting they might not be immediately great at something else.
The ones who make the jump without burning out know this: Building something meaningful isn't about being competent from day one. It's about caring enough to be terrible at first.
Your skills don't disappear when you pivot. But your need to look like you know what you're doing right from the beginning? That has to go.
Instead of taking pride of your compentence, building your identity around the courage, thoughtfulness. and determination in your growth path. Soon enough, you'll find competence again.