Why Trying to Impress Is Holding You Back – The Performance Trap in Modern Career Development
- Brainz Magazine
- 4 days ago
- 13 min read
Written by Dan Williamson, Coach, Mentor, and Founder
Dan is a qualified coach and mentor with 20+ years of experience helping people unlock their potential by challenging perspectives and enhancing self-awareness. He founded Teach Lead Transform, an online platform for self-discovery, learning, and language growth.
As a new year begins, professionals everywhere are planning how to be better this year. More polished. More confident. More impressive. How many people are thinking about the performance they’ve been maintaining?
The one that makes you sound impressive but makes you feel empty. This isn’t a path to career growth, but a blocker.
I’ve worked with many professionals who came to me with the same story. Perfect CV, rehearsed answers to interview questions, polished LinkedIn profile, but always with one thing missing, personality.
“I got the job,” one client told me, “but I don’t recognize myself in it.”
That’s the consequence of performance. If you’ve ever felt like the professional version of yourself is a character you’re playing rather than who you really are, you’re already in this scenario.
The performing mindset in career development
The path to a focus on performing instead of presence in your career can start innocently enough.
Early in your career, someone tells you to “be professional” or “play the game”.
You learn there’s a certain way to write a CV, with action verbs, quantified achievements, and no personality.
A certain way to interview, confident but not arrogant, enthusiastic but not desperate, perfect but somehow humble.
A certain way to present yourself, polished, put together, impressive.
So, you learn the script, borrow the language, adopt the posture. And it works, for a while.
The pressure to impress comes from everywhere. From LinkedIn feeds full of highlight reels, from job descriptions listing twelve requirements for entry-level roles. From the dozens of other candidates you’re competing against, from the voice in your head that says you’re not enough.
So, you perform, becoming who you think they want, and you get so good at it that even you begin to forget who you are.
How performance shows up in a job search
Performance has a signature. Once you know what to look for, you’ll see it everywhere.
In your CV
Your CV probably sounds impressive, but is it sincere?
“Results-driven professional with proven track record of exceeding expectations and driving strategic initiatives across cross-functional teams.”
Did you cringe reading that? You should. But I’d bet good money there’s a version of it sitting in your CV summary right now.
Performing in CVs looks like:
Borrowed language that could describe anyone in your field
Inflated achievements where every task becomes a “strategic initiative.”
Omission of anything that doesn’t sound suitably impressive
Buzzwords and the complete absence of your authentic voice
You’ve sanitized yourself into invisibility. Every career gap explained away. Every pivot framed as planned when it was actually circumstances beyond your control.
In your cover letters
Performance in cover letters is even more painful because you can feel yourself doing it.
“I am passionate about this opportunity.” Really? Like, really passionate?
“I would be honoured to contribute my skills.” When do you use the word “honoured” in your daily conversations?
These letters read like they were written by someone trying too hard. They sound like everyone else because you all used the same prompt to ask an AI to write them.
In interviews
This is where the performing really costs.
You’ve rehearsed the answer to “Tell me about yourself” so many times it no longer sounds like you talking. It’s a recital.
You’ve prepared your response to “What’s your greatest weakness” with the perfect answer, one that isn’t really a weakness at all.
You nod enthusiastically at everything they say about the role, even the parts you don’t like. You don’t ask the hard questions because you don’t want to seem difficult. You agree with their assessment of what success looks like, even though you can already see potential problems.
You’re not interviewing. You’re auditioning. And auditions require performance.
On LinkedIn
LinkedIn has become the Olympics of professional performance.
Every post is carefully crafted for engagement. Every career move is framed as strategic growth. Every setback is repackaged as a learning opportunity. Toxic positivity. Only the highlight reel.
All the wins, none of the struggles. All the clarity, none of the confusion. All the confidence, none of the doubt. It all seems so easy.
You write “10 ways to improve your career” or “8 signs of career sabotage” posts that sound like everyone else because you’re trying to feed an algorithm rather than express what you actually think.
The consequence of career performance
Wrong opportunities
When you perform your way into a role, you get hired for the performance, not the person. Then you must maintain it for years.
The roles you get through performance are designed for the character you’re playing, not the person you are. They’ll never quite fit, and you’ll spend your energy maintaining the performance rather than doing work that actually matters to you.
Complete invisibility
Here’s the paradox: trying to be impressive makes you forgettable.
When everyone performs the same polished, perfect, professional version, no one stands out. Your CV looks like their CV. Your cover letter sounds like their cover letter. Your interview answers could be anyone’s interview answers.
Hiring managers read hundreds of applications. After a while, they all blur together. The ones they remember aren’t the most polished. They’re the most real.
I’ve sat in hiring meetings where the person who got the job wasn’t the most qualified on paper. They were the ones who asked an unusual question. Who had a different way of explaining their thinking. Who admitted they didn’t know something instead of pretending. They were authentic.
Exhaustion you can’t explain
Performing is cognitively draining.
Think about how you feel after an interview. Not nervous-excited. Drained. That’s not interview anxiety, it’s performance fatigue.
You’re managing every word, every gesture, every expression. You’re monitoring yourself constantly. Am I sounding too confident? Not confident enough? Should I have said it differently? Did that land wrong?
That exhaustion won’t end when you get the job. It perpetuates. Now you must maintain the performance every day. In every meeting. In every interaction.
Imposter syndrome
Of course, you feel like an imposter. You’re performing a role rather than working authentically.
The gap between who you are and who you’re pretending to be creates constant dissonance. At some level, you’re waiting to be found out, because you know the impressive version isn’t the real you.
Imposter syndrome isn’t usually about lack of skill. It’s about the disconnect between your performance and your reality. When you’re hired for being yourself, imposter syndrome largely disappears. There’s nothing to be “found out” about.
Will you still feel like you don’t belong, especially if it’s a promotion? Of course. That’s the feeling we all get when pushing our comfort zone. It’s normal and expected.
Career misalignment that compounds
Every choice you make from inside the performance leads you away from fulfilling work.
You take the role that sounds impressive, not the one that interests you. You pursue the promotion that looks good, not the move that would teach you something. You build the career that makes sense on LinkedIn, not the one that makes sense for your life.
Five, ten, fifteen years in, you look around and realize you’ve been building someone else’s career. You just didn’t notice because you were so busy performing it well.
Recognizing your performance patterns
Most people don’t realize they’re performing, but deep down, you really know.
Ask yourself, "When do you feel most “on” professionally?"
Before an interview, rehearsing in your head?
Writing a LinkedIn post, editing for the third time?
In that first week of a new job, before people know you?
What parts of your professional presentation feel rehearsed?
Your elevator pitch that you’ve said so many times it no longer connects to anything real?
Your LinkedIn bio that could be anyone’s?
Your interview answers that flow smoothly because you’ve performed them before?
Where are you trying to be impressive rather than clear?
The language in your CV that sounds sophisticated but means nothing?
The extra adjectives you add to embellish simple statements?
The complexity you introduce to make your work sound more dramatic?
What aspects of yourself do you hide to sound more professional?
Your sense of humour, because professional equals serious?
Your uncertainty, because confident equals effective?
Your hobbies outside of work, because dedicated equals workaholic?
Which achievements do you emphasize because they sound good versus because they mattered?
Think about what you lead with in introductions. Is it the impressive project, or the one that changed how you think about your work?
What would you say differently if you weren’t trying to impress? If you’re honest, probably everything.
Listen for this language in your internal dialogue:
“I should be more.” (More confident. More strategic. More impressive.)
“I need them to think I’m.” (Qualified. Competent. The right fit.)
“I can’t let them know.” (I’m uncertain. I’m struggling. I don’t have it figured out.)
This mindset is exhausting because it never ends. There’s no version of you that will ever feel enough. Performing demands more performing.
From performance to expression
Authentic professional expression isn’t about lowering your standards or “being casual.” It’s about replacing what you think is expected with genuine clarity, for example:
In your CV
Performing: “Spearheaded cross-functional initiatives, driving 30% improvement in operational efficiency through strategic implementation of innovative solutions.”
Authentic: “Led a team of five to redesign our onboarding process. We reduced new hire ramp-up time from six weeks to four by identifying and removing unnecessary steps. The change required convincing three department heads to change their approach, which taught me more about organizational change than anything else I’ve done.”
The difference? The second one explains what happened. It shows thinking, not just results. It reveals what the person learned, not just what they achieved. You remember it because it’s specific and human.
In your cover letter
Performing: “I am excited to apply for this position. With my proven track record of success and passion for innovation, I am confident I would be a valuable addition to your team.”
Authentic: “I’m interested in this role because the problem you’re solving matters. I spent three years working with small businesses and watched them struggle with exactly the challenge your platform addresses. I don’t have experience in SaaS, but I understand the customer better than most of your team probably does. That’s worth something.”
The second one makes a point, demonstrates thinking, and acknowledges a gap without apologizing for it. It’s confident but not cocky.
In your interview
Performing answer to “Tell me about yourself”: “Well, I’m a results-oriented professional with over seven years of experience in project management. I have a proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and deliver projects on time and under budget. I’m passionate about continuous improvement and thrive in fast-paced environments.”
Authentic answer: “I’ve spent seven years in project management, but I came to it sideways. I was a teacher first, and I kept noticing that the best classroom management was really project management, clear goals, regular check-ins, adapting when things went off track. When I moved into corporate work, I realized most project managers were doing the opposite of what worked with twelve-year-olds, too much process and not enough relationship. I’ve built my approach around what I learned in that classroom. It doesn’t always look like traditional project management, but it works.”
Which person do you remember? Which one would you want to work with?
Why authentic expression works
It seems counterintuitive. The more polished, impressive version should work better. Remember, people still do business with people, and humans are still social animals.
When you express yourself authentically, several things happen:
You become memorable. Not because you’re performing, but because you are unique. Your specific experiences, way of thinking, and perspective can’t be replicated.
You build trust faster. Consistency signals honesty. When you sound the same in your CV, your interview, your follow-up email, and your first week on the job, people trust you. When you shift between versions, they don’t.
You attract the right opportunities. When you’re clear about who you are, the roles that fit will find you. The roles that don’t will pass you by. This feels risky until you realize hiring into the wrong role can cost you years of your life.
You have sustainable energy. Expression draws on who you are. Performance drains you by requiring you to be someone else. One compound. The other depletes.
What letting go actually requires
If performance has been your strategy for years, letting go feels dangerous because it has been keeping you safe, safe from the vulnerability of being yourself and not being valued.
Letting go requires permission you’ve probably been waiting for someone else to give you:
Permission to acknowledge that performance was a survival strategy, not a character flaw. You learned to perform because something taught you that being yourself wasn’t enough. That’s not your fault. It’s in the past, but continuing it is your choice.
Permission to be uncomfortable. Being seen is vulnerable. You will feel exposed. You’ll want to retreat into performing, that’s normal, but stay the course and keep faith.
Permission to be patient. Authentic expression doesn’t happen overnight. You’ve been performing for years. It takes time to find your way back to what’s underneath.
Permission to need support. This work is harder alone. You’ll need people who can see the difference between your performance and your presence. Who can call you back when you slip into borrowed language. Who understands what you’re trying to build.
The fears that keep you performing
Let’s address them directly, because they’re probably screaming at you right now.
“If I stop trying to impress, I won’t stand out.”
You already don’t stand out. You’re performing the same impressive version as everyone else. The only way to stand out is to be authentic.
“Authenticity is a luxury I can’t afford.”
Performance is the expensive option. It costs you energy. It costs you opportunities that fit. It costs you years in roles that don’t work. Authenticity might feel risky in the moment, but performance is expensive forever.
“The market rewards performance, not authenticity.”
The market rewards memorability and fit. Performance undermines both. The market also rewards people who can think clearly under pressure, build real relationships, and sustain performance over the years. All of that comes from being yourself.
“I don’t know who I am professionally.”
This is the real fear, isn’t it? You’ve been performing so long, you’re not sure what’s underneath.
The performance isn’t creating your professional identity. It’s covering it. Your authentic professional self isn’t something you need to invent. It’s something you need to stop hiding.
What becomes possible when you stop performing
Different opportunities appear. Not better in some universal sense. Better for you. The role that would have passed over your polished, perfect CV finds you because your real one resonates. The hiring manager who wouldn’t have remembered your rehearsed answer calls you back because your honest one made them think.
Work that doesn’t require constant performance. When you’re hired for who you are, you don’t have to maintain a facade. You can direct your energy toward the work instead of maintaining the character.
Professional relationships built on truth. Your colleagues know you from the start. There’s no reveal later where you’re different than they expected. The relationships are real because they’re based on reality.
Sustainable energy. You’ll still get tired, but it’s a good kind of tired that comes from doing meaningful work, not the draining kind that comes from maintaining a performance.
Differentiation that comes from difference. You stop trying to be impressive in the ways everyone else is impressive. You start being valuable in the ways only you can be valuable.
Career decisions based on alignment, not appearance. When you’re not performing, you can assess what fits. You ask the questions that matter. You evaluate opportunities based on growth rather than impression. You build the career you want instead of the career you think you should.
Starting the shift: What you can do this week
You don’t have to overhaul everything at once. Start here. Audit your current job search materials for performance language.
Open your CV. Read it out loud. Every time you hit a phrase that doesn’t sound like you, highlight it. Every time you read something you’d never actually say, change it.
Do the same with your LinkedIn profile, your cover letter, and any professional bio you’ve written.
Look for:
Borrowed phrases from templates
Buzzwords you wouldn’t use in conversation
Inflated achievements
The complete absence of your authentic voice
Identify one place you’re performing and practice an authentic alternative.
Don’t try to fix everything. Pick one sentence in your CV summary. Rewrite it in language you’d use to explain your work to a friend.
Or choose one interview question you know is coming. Instead of rehearsing the perfect answer, prepare your thinking. What happened? What did you really learn? What would you say if you weren’t trying to impress? Be honest.
Test authentic communication in low-stakes professional contexts.
Try it in a networking conversation where nothing is on the line. In an informational interview. In a LinkedIn comment. You’ll probably feel more vulnerable. You might also notice people respond differently, with more engagement, follow-up, or actual connection.
Notice when you shift into performance mode and what triggers it.
Pay attention to when the performance voice kicks in. Is it when you’re anxious? When you want something? When you’re with certain people?
Noticing begins to create space between you and performing. You start to see it as something you do, not something you are.
Find support for the transition.
This shift is harder alone. You need people who can see the difference. Who can reflect back when you’re in performance mode versus when you’re expressing clearly.
A coach who understands this work. A community of others making the same transition. Someone who knows what you’re building and can hold you accountable to it.
When you need more than self-help
Some signs you need deeper support for this work:
The performance is so ingrained you can’t tell where it ends, and you begin. You’ve been performing so long that being yourself professionally feels like a foreign language.
You’ve built an entire career on performing, and you feel trapped. The role requires the character. Your reputation is built on the facade. The thought of changing it creates significant anxiety.
You’re succeeding by every external measure but feel completely disconnected. The promotions are coming. The opportunities are there, but you feel nothing.
You want to make the shift, but don’t know how to start. You recognize the performance and see the cost, but when you try to stop, you panic and retreat back to what’s safe.
If any of that resonates, this isn’t a self-help problem. It’s a deeper work problem. The kind that needs structure, support, and someone who knows the territory.
That’s why I created the Your Authentic Voice program. Five weeks of focused work on understanding who you really are and some of the barriers that prevent you from bringing this version of yourself forward. We build community with others making the same shift, because this work needs witness and accountability.
It’s for professionals who recognize they’re performing but need support to let it go. Who are tired of sounding impressive and want to start being clear. Who are ready to build careers that don’t require them to leave themselves at the door.
The new year invitation
A new year has just begun. You’re probably already making plans for how to be better this year.
Career growth doesn’t begin with adding more polish. It begins with letting go of what no longer fits. Recognizing that the exhausting performance you’ve been maintaining isn’t making you more impressive, it’s making you invisible.
The most professional thing you can do this year is stop pretending.
If you’re reading this and recognizing yourself in the performance, find out more through our social media channels and website.
Remember, the performance isn’t protecting you anymore. It’s preventing you. Letting go isn’t career suicide. It’s career development.
The question is whether you’re ready.
Read more from Dan Williamson
Dan Williamson, Coach, Mentor, and Founder
Dan is passionate about continuous growth to positively impact others. As a qualified coach and mentor, he empowers people to deepen their self-awareness, strengthen their personal identity, and unlock their true potential. Using his own self-discovery experiences as a foundation, he helps individuals develop bespoke strategies to enable them to live as their authentic selves. Through his writing on Teach, Lead, Transform, his online learning, language, and self-discovery platform, his aim is to stimulate thinking and awareness to empower self-directed personal growth.
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