How High Performers Break the Cycle of Overwork and Burnout
Week 4 of The Trust Tax Investigation: How We Break the Cycle
For the past three weeks, The Trust Tax Investigation has been asking why capable, successful people burn out.
This week, we stop simply diagnosing the problem.
We ask what we can do differently.
And my conversation with Emmy-winning comedy writer Beth Sherman took us somewhere I didn't entirely expect.
Beth spent decades writing for some of television's biggest shows and personalities. Today, she brings what comedy taught her about connecting with skeptical audiences into leadership and business.
We started with a question about trust:
How do you get people to trust you?
But our conversation eventually led to a different question:
What happens when being trusted becomes part of the problem?
Because being dependable can be a tremendous strength.
Being known as the person who can solve a particular problem can create opportunities.
But there can also be a hidden cost when:
"You're really good at this" becomes...
"So you should always be the one who does it."
That's where Beth and I had to work through the idea together.
And I think the conversation became better because we did.
The problem isn't being trusted.
The problem isn't being dependable.
And the solution certainly isn't to stop being excellent at what you do.
The problem begins when the role everyone trusts you to play starts limiting your ability to choose, grow, communicate what you want, or become something different.
In this episode, we explore:
The Trust Tax Investigation
One of the things this conversation clarified for me is that trust itself isn't the tax.
The Trust Tax begins to grow when trust continually routes responsibility back to the same dependable people, and those people stop having meaningful choices about what they carry.
There's often a story underneath it:
They need me.
I'm good at this.
It's easier if I just do it.
I don't want to disappoint anyone.
This is what people expect from me.
Those stories can help us become successful.
But eventually, we have to ask whether they're still helping us become the leader—or person—we want to become.
Beth gives us one way to start breaking that cycle:
Connection over perfection.
Connect with the people you're leading.
Communicate what you need.
And don't forget to stay connected with yourself.
Because breaking the Trust Tax doesn't require becoming less dependable.
It requires becoming more intentional about where, why, and how you choose to be depended upon.
Start Your Own Trust Tax™ Investigation
See the pattern. Listen for the story. Decide what you want to carry forward.
🔎 Take the free Trust Tax™ Assessment
Discover the responsibility and leadership patterns most likely to contribute to burnout before burnout becomes the whole story. About 7 minutes, with immediate personalized results.
https://unceilingzone.com/start-trust-tax-assesssment
🎟️ Join us for Rewrite Your Story — October 15
A leadership workshop + live comedy show at Walsh College in Troy, Michigan with Natalie H. Luke, Ph.D. and Merit Kahn.
https://rewriteyourstoryevent.com
Connect with Beth Sherman
Beth Sherman is an Emmy-winning comedy writer, speaker, and communications expert who helps leaders use humor and humanity to create stronger connections with their audiences.
🌐 Website: https://www.bethsherman.com/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-sherman/
Follow The Trust Tax Investigation
Week 1: When Success Becomes a Trap
Week 2: Why Does This Happen?
Week 3: Why Organizations Create It
Week 4: How We Break the Cycle
Subscribe to UnCeiling You on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
Learn More at https://unceilingzone.com
