“If your title says X but your day is 70% Y…”
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably been called a “unicorn,” a “Swiss Army knife,” or told you need to “focus on your core job more.”
But here’s the truth:
You’re not unfocused, you’re filling the gaps no one else sees.
You’re not wearing blinders.
You’re not just checking boxes.
You’re looking at the bigger system and trying to fix the blockers that make your actual job impossible.
And that instinct (the ability to see across functions) is rare.
But it comes with a cost.
WHY THIS IS HAPPENING
Companies are complex.
Teams shift. Priorities change. Velocity increases. People leave. Roles blur.
Even if things worked last quarter, there’s no guarantee they’ll work this quarter.
And when something breaks, the people who can see the whole system (people like you) step in.
Not because you want to. Because no one else will.
Sometimes the function doesn’t exist. Sometimes it exists but is underdeveloped. Sometimes it’s owned by someone doing it as a side job. So, you fill the gap.
WHY THIS BECOMES A PROBLEM
This is one of the core drivers of burnout, mistrust, and heroics culture.
Because even though you’re fixing the immediate issue, you’re also:
enabling the gap to stay unfilled
absorbing invisible labor
stepping on toes
getting blamed for “not focusing”
being held accountable for outcomes you didn’t cause
And when you don’t hit your numbers?
Leadership points to the fact that you “weren’t focused on your core role.”
It’s a trap.
A trap created by system immaturity, not personal failure.
REAL EXAMPLES OF NARROW, NON-SYSTEMIC THINKING
1. The Merchandiser
Bragging about a 17% conversion rate…
…because only refill customers were visiting the site.
Micro-metric optimization → macro failure.
2. The Shipper
Speeding up label application…
…while cross-shipping 20% of orders.
Local efficiency → global chaos.
3. The Engineer
Shaving 2 seconds off order release…
…while delaying half of all customer orders by 1–2 weeks.
Partial optimization → system degradation.
4. The Program Manager
Building an anti-fraud system…
…when the real issue was identity management.
Solving the wrong problem → creating new ones.
These aren’t incompetence.
They’re symptoms of people solving what they can see, not what the system needs.
WHY THIS FEELS HARDER THAN IT SHOULD
Because real change requires working across multiple levels of awareness:
The Improvement Awareness Scale
I know what I see and how it impacts me.
I understand how this change helps my goal.
I understand why the gap exists.
I understand how my change impacts others.
I understand how this fits into the total system.
Most people operate at Level 1 or 2.
You’re operating at Level 4 or 5.
That’s why it feels lonely.
QUADRANT THINKING IN CHANGE MANAGEMENT
To make real change, you need to think across all four quadrants:
VISION
Does this align with what we’re trying to accomplish?
STRUCTURE
What systems, processes, and upstream/downstream impacts are involved?
CULTURE
How will this be perceived? Is the team ready for this change?
EXECUTION
Even if it’s right, will it actually work?
This is the difference between observation and solution.
HOW THIS HELPS YOU
Three things:
1. Validate the problem
If you can’t answer the quadrant questions, you may have an insight, not a solution.
2. Leave room for opposing views
Even when you’re right, people support change better when they feel safe.
3. Be patient
Change takes time. Systems take time. People take time.
You’re not wrong. You’re just early.
Ready to see what’s actually causing the gaps you keep falling into?
You’re not imagining the patterns, the system really is misaligned.
The Growth Spectrum Diagnostic shows you exactly where the breakdown is happening and why you keep getting pulled into the cracks.
→ Take the Growth Spectrum Diagnostic
