Follow Le Zèbre in his interview for Welcome to the Jungle!
Thank you Welcome to the Jungle and Justine Silans for your confidence. I’m very happy and proud to have taken part in this interview, which helps managers and employees better understand HPI profiles in the workplace! I hope it helps you too.
High intellectual potential: does this gift become a burden at work?
To read the full article on the Welcome to the Jungle website, click here:
High intellectual potential: is this gift turning into a burden at work?
A diagnosis that provides a better understanding
I’m delighted to have been able to tell you how often I’ve changed companies . Like many of you, I couldn’t find my place in a company! Of course, when everyone around you is doing it, it’s hard not to question yourself… ” I thought I had a personality disorder, but I could see that people thought I was weird sometimes, that they didn’t always understand me… “
Thanks to therapy and a friend who was also identified as HPI, I ended up being detected as High Potential. ” It was liberating! Before, I tried to fit into a mold, to be a standard person. That’s when I realized that the main reason I had so much trouble connecting with others was that my brain simply didn’t work the same way. “. The famous mould in which you end up looking like a pie!
In this article, you’ll also find advice and recommendations from psychologist Arielle Adda. In particular, she talks about the importance of getting diagnosed: ” Being diagnosed allows you to get to know yourself better, and to know that there are things in the professional world that you won’t be able to cope with. When people don’t know they’re gifted, they tend to see only what they do badly, to be very hard on themselves and even to suffer a real sense of imposture. With a test, at least they manage to look at themselves more lucidly. “
Taking a real test in case of doubt, supervised by a health professional, helps us to better understand our own functioning, and thus put words to character traits that, until now, have eluded us. It also helps you to better understand the points to watch out for, both in relation to yourself and to others.
Difficult communication
Justine, the Welcome to the Jungle journalist, gave me carte blanche over my answers. What I really wanted to do was to suggest some tips and solutions to avoid hot-headed, impulsive reactions at work. Managing emotions is very important when you have HPI. We’re quick to get annoyed when things don’t go our way, so in meetings it’s not easy.
Today, I practice and make extensive use of cardiac coherence (a breathing-based stress management method). it’s important to take a breather so that you don’t get into trouble with your manager or employer: ” You have to learn to leave a period of latency: stay in your office, go and breathe in the kitchen, above all don’t react on the spot.”
Non-violent communication can be a good tool for learning how to express your feelings. ” As the HPI immediately sees what’s not working, they tend to be immediately critical. Using non-violent communication techniques can help to change the way he expresses his needs, teaching us to communicate more gently, and to soften the blow. “advises Mélanie.
Individuals more prone to burn-out
Because they have extraordinary work capacities and a tendency to always want to do more, HPIs are also an easy target in cases of moral harassment, often the precursor to burn-out. ” The danger for gifted people is that their hierarchy demands more and more of them, and since they are perfectionists, they will respond to this demand by working twice as hard… You have to be able to stop in time, which can be very difficult,” explains Arielle Adda. To get there, Mélanie uses the Pomodoro technique, a time management technique that involves taking a 5-minute break every 25 minutes. ” It can also be as simple as setting an alarm at 7pm, for example: when it goes off, you turn everything off, forcing yourself to stop by an external signal. “suggests the young woman.
A heightened quest for meaning
The search for meaning in a person with HPI is more intense,” agrees Mélanie. You absolutely have to understand why you do what you do, otherwise you’ll lose interest very quickly. “That’s why psychologist Arielle Adda often advises HPIs to trust their intuition. ” Right from the start, you need to get a “feel” for your business. If they don’t feel it, it’s not going to work. “says the psychologist. You need to find out about the job and the type of management, and don’t hesitate to ask to meet your manager as soon as youinterview,” adds Mélanie. If you don’t feel like you’ve got what it takes at the first interview, it’s best to walk away.
How do you thrive at work?
High potentials can develop a number of tactics to avoid languishing behind their desks. Ask to manage tasks outside their job description, for example, whether they are of a professional or informal nature. At one point, I improvised myself as the happy manager of my company,” smiles Mélanie. I’d set up a picnic area for lunch outside, organized games of molky, running sessions… If you don’t find fulfillment in your tasks, there’s always a way to create links in other ways. But management still has to be receptive! “
To be sure of achieving your full potential as a high-potential employee, it’s best to aim for companies that are agile, receptive to change and, above all, promote human values. In terms of jobs, HPIs often thrive in project management, which requires the mobilization of several skills, in creative occupations, or in professions focused on people.
Article written by Justine Silans for Welcome to the Jungle.
To read the full article on the Welcome to the Jungle website, click here:
High intellectual potential: is this gift turning into a burden at work?
Take care of yourself!
Mel from Suivez le Zèbre
Are you a press professional and would like to contact us? We’ll let you click below!
You can also find more information, resources and tools on Giftedness in Mel POINAS‘ book. With a lot of humor, Mel tells the story of the discovery of her giftedness and the routines she put in place to finally find her place!
Le livre
Écrit par une HPI !
Un témoignage et des solutions concrètes pour découvrir, comprendre et apprendre à vivre en étant HPI.
To go further, you can read
- How to tell others we are gifted?
- The best books about High Learning Potential
- Impostor’s syndrome
- Giftedness : 20 characteristics of complex and laminar profiles
- How to take the WAIS 4 test?
- Giftedness and Hypersensitivity
