What Happens When Talent Gets Trapped?

Matt landed his dream job at his dream company. After a grueling hiring process, he felt like a star—one of the lucky few to make it in. With his Ivy League degree and big tech background, he was ready to make waves.

But here’s the twist: the dream job wasn’t quite the dream fit.

Instead of running a business, he ended up leading a small support team for sales. It wasn’t what he had envisioned, but he rolled with it, learned the ropes, and adapted.

His next role felt better. Way better. It challenged him—multiple teams, complex products, aggressive targets. And he delivered. He helped grow the business from $500 million to $3 billion.

But after a few years, things plateaued. The job got too easy. The spark was gone.

Soon, Matt found himself spending more time in the gym and cafeteria than at his desk. He looked around for internal opportunities, but nothing exciting came up. His current team didn’t really need him anymore.

He was stuck. The golden handcuffs—great perks, flexible hours, a well-known brand—kept him from leaving.

In conversations with colleagues, he found he wasn’t alone. Many were quietly dissatisfied, coasting in roles that no longer fit but too comfortable to make a move.

Matt’s story isn’t rare.

Underutilized potential is a hidden trap causing skilled folks to stay stuck in jobs that don't challenge them.

It is not typically measured, so not considered when developing talent management strategies. If you were to add up all the Matts in the organization, imagine the amount of brain power and capacity that is being wasted.

Talent utilization is a shared responsibility between organizations and individuals.

Here are 10 ways in which organizations can address talent underutilization.

1. Role Realignment: Reassign or adjust roles to better match employees' skills and aspirations.

2. Job Enrichment: Enhance roles by adding responsibilities, projects, or tasks that challenge employees and align with their strengths.

3. Internal Mobility: Encourage employees to explore roles in different teams or departments to diversify their experiences.

4. Skill Development: Provide training and development opportunities to bridge skill gaps and prepare employees for more challenging roles.

5. Leadership Development: Create pathways for high-potential employees to take on leadership roles or special projects.

6. Cross-functional Collaboration: Encourage employees to collaborate with colleagues from different areas to broaden their perspectives and skill sets.

7. Feedback Culture: Establish a culture of continuous feedback and open communication to ensure employees feel heard and valued.

8. Recognition and Rewards: Acknowledge and reward employees who go above and beyond their current roles, encouraging others to do the same.

9. Flexible Job Design: Tailor roles to fit employees' strengths and preferences, fostering a sense of purpose and engagement.

10. Regular Check-ins: Maintain ongoing conversations about career aspirations and growth trajectories to ensure employees' roles evolve alongside their potential.

By addressing underutilization, companies can create a dynamic and empowered workforce that drives innovation, growth, employee satisfaction and engagement.

At ReWrite the Rules, we help leaders to rewrite their own rules so that they can forge a new path to leadership success.

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