Starting a new role is a high-stakes moment.
You’ve worked hard to get here. You want to make a great impression. You want to hit the ground running.
And that’s exactly when the trap appears.
I’ve seen it countless times.
Smart, accomplished professionals stepping into new positions—and immediately overcompensating.
They want to show they were the right hire.
So they do it all.
Respond to everything.
Take on more.
Say yes before really thinking.
They mistake busyness for visibility.
But here’s the truth:
Being everywhere is not the same as being impactful.
And that instinct to prove yourself? It can quickly become self-sabotage.
One client put it like this:
“I didn’t want to be caught out—so I said yes to everything.
And suddenly I was drowning.
Trying to impress had become exhausting.”
She didn’t realise she’d stepped into a pattern I see again and again: Trying so hard to impress that you never get to lead.
We unpicked it together.
She came to see the real opportunity wasn’t in doing more—but in showing up differently.
Here’s the one thing I tell clients at this exact career stage:
You don’t need to prove you belong.
You need to own that you’re already there.
The strongest leaders I work with do this:
→ They pause before reacting.
→ They ask sharp questions instead of giving rushed answers.
→ They listen generously—and act deliberately.
And that shift changes everything.
When you stop overfunctioning, you gain the space to see your role clearly.
You build trust, not just rapport.
You lead with influence, not effort.
Because at the end of the day, your team doesn’t need you to be perfect.
They need you to be present, thoughtful, and brave enough to lead on your own terms.
So if you’re stepping into something new, here’s your reminder:
You don’t have to hustle for your place.
You’ve already earned it.
Ready to be relentlessly yourself?
