The Performer

The Performer is the Pressure Reflex that works harder and harder to prove your worth. It is one of eight Pressure Reflexes named by Deano Sutter, founder of Pressure Reflex™ Leadership Training System. It wants significance. And no amount of proof is ever quite enough.

You know this moment

Someone new joins the leadership team.

In the first meeting, you hear yourself mention the deal you closed last year. Twice.

Then you volunteer for the project nobody wanted. On top of the three you already have.

It's 10pm on a Tuesday and you're still answering emails.

Nobody asked you to.

Why do I feel like I have to prove myself?

You'll call it a strong work ethic.

A strong work ethic doesn't need anyone to notice.

A version of you learned that you only matter when you're performing. The Performer takes over to keep proving it.

It runs on one line:

"If I prove myself, you'll see my value."

So you keep going. Long after the point was made.

When is The Performer the right responder?

Every Pressure Reflex is an emergency responder. Each one is built for a real threat.

In a real emergency, The Performer is exactly who you want. The pitch decides whether the company makes payroll. It's the final round for the job you need. Proving yourself really is the job.

A false alarm looks different. Someone new joining the team. A quiet week with no wins. A meeting where nobody mentioned your work. Your worth was never in question, but your alarm reads being overlooked as danger, and The Performer goes to work. Your reaction ends up bigger than the moment. That's a false alarm.

What does The Performer look like?

• Mentioning your wins before anyone asks
• Saying yes to one more project so you can't be overlooked
• Turning down help so they see you can handle it
• Working late so it's visible that you're working late
• Answering emails on vacation so nobody forgets how much you carry

What does The Performer cost you?

People don't walk away thinking you're valuable. They walk away thinking you're impressive, and exhausting.

And you never get to rest. There's always one more thing to prove.

Once it's called in, The Performer proves at all costs. Your sleep. Your weekend. Dinner with your family.

The more The Performer proves, the more proof it needs.

Your repeated reactions become your reputation.

Is The Performer one of your main Pressure Reflexes?

You might recognize it in lines like:

• "I feel like I constantly have to prove myself."
• "If I'm not achieving, I start to feel invisible."

Everyone experiences The Performer at some point. For some people, it's a predominant Pressure Reflex, the one that shows up most, especially around failure and being overlooked.

And when it is, it rarely shows up alone. It often brings one or two other Pressure Reflexes with it.

Either way, The Performer is not who you are. It is who takes over.

Protection isn't the problem. Outdated protection is. What was trained can be retrained.

"In my previous roles I'd always felt I should be progressing faster and further than I had. Some unseen barrier seemed to cap my growth."

Bryan Vought, Biology Leader, Organoid and Stem Cell Innovation

The goal isn't to stop achieving. It's to know your worth without having to prove it again.

See all eight Pressure Reflexes