The Myth of Underutilized Employees

Sep 17

In The Employee Engagement Lie, I argued that leaders must stop chasing engagement and instead do the things that actually build it. One of those things is to recognize and reward outcomes, and quickly exit those who can’t or won’t engage.

Every few months, another survey comes out claiming most employees feel “underutilized” at work. They say they’re ready for more, eager to step up, and frustrated that their company isn’t taking advantage of their talents. It makes a great headline. It also makes me roll my eyes.

The Hard Truth About Being ‘Underutilized’

Most employees who say they’re underutilized aren’t being held back by their leaders; they’re being held back by themselves.

If you’re truly capable of delivering more value, no leader on earth is going to hold you down. Leaders are desperate for people who can help them achieve necessary and expected results. If you haven’t been tapped, it’s not because you’re invisible, it’s because you haven’t proven you can consistently deliver outcomes that matter.

Feeling underutilized is usually code for this: “I want more pay, more recognition, or a bigger title, but I haven’t demonstrated I can move the needle where it counts.”

Leaders Need Help

Being ready for more work means seeing where your leader and your teammates are drowning and stepping in with solutions that are actually helpful.

Most managers today aren’t getting the outcomes they need. They don’t have extra bandwidth for busywork, vanity projects, or your latest Reddit-inspired “improvement.” They need people who can see what’s broken, rationalize a fix against the three pillars, and bring a solid 1-3-1: one clearly defined problem, three viable solutions, and one firm recommendation for which option to go with.

Team members truly ready for more don’t wait for their manager to hand them a solution to a problem and then offer their “concerns.” If the manager had to come up with the solution, it’s because nobody else did. So stuff your concerns, you’re too late. People who are ready for more anticipate the need, build the solution, and hand their leader a clear way forward.

On a high-performing team, nobody asks permission to help a struggling teammate. They just do it. The same is true here: leaders need help, and the people who are truly ready for more are already giving it.

The Price of Mistaking Promises for Proof

Here’s what really happens when a manager caves and hands more responsibility to someone who’s been promising they’re “ready for more” but hasn’t proven it:

The manager drowns. Most managers are already struggling to lead the team to achieve the desired outcomes. Give more to someone who isn’t ready, and now you’re carrying your own load and cleaning up a mess. That’s not leadership, that’s gambling.
The team suffers. Deadlines slip. Outcomes miss. High performers get stuck picking up the slack, which punishes the very people we should be protecting.
Trust collapses. When you reward promises instead of proof, your team notices. Once they see mediocrity gets promoted, the standard is gone.

That’s the real price of mistaking promises for proof. You don’t just miss unlocking potential, you erode trust, burn out your best people, and bury a manager who was already underwater.

Recognize the Right People (The Secret Decoder Card)

Helpful doesn’t sound like, “I’m underutilized.” Helpful looks like this:

People who don’t confuse being busy and responsive with being effective. Jammed calendars, endless meetings, and constant firefighting don’t equal outcomes; consistently and measurably moving the pillars does.
People who show up and aggressively work to master the organization’s documented ways of working, without needing to be reminded.
People who can be counted on to define, vet, communicate, and manage their own priorities in a way that measurably improves the three pillars.
People who can be relied on to do what they said they would do, when they said they would do it — 100% of the time.
People who don’t just respond to requests and lob outcomes over the fence. They follow through, make sure the request is received, and confirm the next step is taken.
People who see the problems that need to be solved, the improvements that need to be made, and bring a 1-3-1 that shows how their chosen solution will measurably improve the three pillars.
People who don’t think leadership and teamwork is waiting until someone else presents a solution, then contributing by casting doubt, nitpicking, or tearing down the person who took the initiative.
That’s the decoder card. Leaders should recognize these people. Team members should use it to prove they’re ready for more.

Why This Matters

There’s no such thing as an underutilized employee on a high-performing team. You’re either proving you can deliver more or you’re not.

Leaders who mistake promises for proof burn out their best people and bury themselves under more weight than they can carry. Team members who cry “underutilized” without measuring their own outcomes against the team's objectives are playing for themselves, not the team.

High-performing teams aren’t built on potential, promises, or posturing. They’re built on people who prove it, every day, in the work, against the three pillars.

And here’s the truth: if you still believe in “underutilized employees,” you’re not leading a high-performing team. You’re running a daycare.

Your Next Move: Look at your team this week. Who’s proving they’re ready by delivering outcomes, mastering your ways of working, and bringing rationalized 1-3-1s tied to the three pillars? Recognize them. And who’s still just making noise, crying “underutilized,” or promising more without proof? Stop rewarding them and cut the excuses, your best people are watching.

Series note: This is the fourth of four follow-up articles to The Employee Engagement Lie, each one breaking down the practical steps for what to do instead of chasing engagement. If you haven’t read it yet, start there — then use this article to kill the myth of underutilized employees and build a team that actually performs.

Shift Questions:

Think of a time when you gave more responsibility to someone who wasn’t ready. What happened to your outcomes, your workload, and your team’s trust?
When have you tolerated someone who was “busy” but not delivering outcomes? How did that impact your high performers?
Recall a moment when a team member brought you a rationalized 1-3-1 tied to the three pillars. How did that change your willingness to give them more responsibility?

J. Scott

J. Scott is the CEO, founder, speaker, author, instructor, and location independent entrepreneur who’s recognized as an expert in transformational leadership that gets sh*t done #GSD.

J. Scott, a talentless, real-life anti-hero who doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk. Growing up in the streets of Los Angeles with less-than-ideal parents, J. learned early on that actions speak louder than words.

After dropping out of high school at 17, J. joined the Navy and learned firsthand that grit and courage could overcome any lack of talent. He embraced every opportunity to learn and eventually became a Naval Rescue Swimmer, jumping out of helicopters to save lives.

Rewind, two decades ago, J. founded 120VC to help people, leaders, and teams get things done that really matter. He's uncovered some universal truths along the way: organizations are optimized for the results they're getting, and to get different results, humans need to perform their jobs differently.

But here's the kicker: humans crave success in all areas of their lives, and nobody knows how to be successful doing their job differently. That's where leaders come in - to help people feel safe to experiment and slay new ways of working.

J. Scott is the epitome of the anti-thought leader, proving that leadership isn’t about being the most talented or successful person on the team. It’s about helping your team members define and deliver success. If you surround yourself with talented people and inspire them to reach for THEIR potential, the leader doesn’t need to be talented. They just have to play for the team. J. Scott is a regular guy who's proven that actions speak louder than words.

Jason has spent over 20 years leading global transformational efforts for DirecTV, Trader Joe’s, Blizzard Entertainment, RIOT Games, Sony Pictures, ResMed, AAG, Universal Music Group, Remitly, and others.

He is the author of two Amazon-bestselling books “It’s Never Just Business: It’s About People” and “The Irreverent Guide to Project Management, An Agile Approach to Enterprise Project Management.”

Jason is a sought-after keynote speaker, with 5-star reviews for his unique, people-centric, and outcome-obsessed approach to change that has generated breakthrough results and created meaningful jobs.

His passion to mentor and training a new generation of leaders led him to start the Transformational Leadership Academy where he leads a 14-week certification program.

In 2020, Jason launched the 120 Brand Community, featuring Brick and Matter CO, BAMCO, a brand accelerator transforming how brands can go to market, and Next Jump Outfitters, an overland guide and e-commerce business transforming how people balance work and play as digital nomads.

http://www.jasonscottleadership.com