When a Mental Health Crisis Looks Like Success, It’s Hard to See the Signs

Often, the most overlooked people on the verge of major mental health issues are the ones that appear, on the outside, totally fine. Over-functioning looks a lot like succeeding: things get done, deadlines get met, deals get closed, and customers get product.

Over-functioners are a company’s dream - they have no boundaries or limits to what they will do, they always raise their hands to take on more, they’re well-liked, well-heeled and well-spoken. If you ask them how they’re doing, they will tell you that they’re “fine”; and they may actually believe that.

What they don’t tell you is that they’re downing a bottle (or two) of wine every night after dinner. They're awake all hours of the night roaming, gaming, shopping, or trying to drug themselves to sleep. Their families and friends are barely seeing them, and when they do, they're not really “there.” They're lonely and isolated, because work is taking up the largest percentage of their time. They're too tired and too busy to focus on their health.

They're in constant motion - it's almost like they can't stop moving, because they're afraid of what will happen if they actually stop. Moving.

These are the people who are living in a never-ending fight or flight nervous system response. These are the people that are swiftly heading into burnout, where one day, like a lithium battery, they will simply stop working. These are the people who need someone to help them before their bodies make them very sick.

This is often the point at which I get called in as a coach, in the final minutes of the game when they're already exhausted. It is a much harder starting point than it needed to be. It's a rehabilitation exercise when it could have been prevention.

Most times in organizations, we focus on the lowest performers - we leave the middle performers alone and just keep giving more work to the highest performers. The data are telling us this strategy isn't working. Levels of burnout are at an all-time high, labor cost is high and the market is tight, and fractional and independent contractors are now close to 40% of the workforce.

That's where your over-functioners (and often your best talent) are headed. Without intervention, they will hit a rock bottom and then they will leave, at great cost to the company and themselves.

So while it's on our minds this May, take stock of your teams. Notice the people who are over- performing. Try to take care of them, even when they push you away.

Both of your futures may depend on it.