High Achievers Often Actually Lack These 12 Traits (But Still Prove Their Doubters Wrong)

High achievers don’t always look how you’d expect.

Smiling woman with long red hair, wearing a green shirt, gently touching her head. She's sitting in a bright kitchen with blurred background elements, including wooden shelves and countertops.

When you think about people who have achieved greatness, you might assume that they possess a particular set of traits that have aided in their success. In reality, they may be significantly different from that assumption, and struggle with things you never imagined. The following traits aren’t necessarily present in every high achiever.

1. Self-confidence.

A young man with short brown hair stands against a light wooden background. He wears a light blue button-up shirt with sleeves rolled up and blue jeans. His hands are in his pockets, and he has a slight smile on his face with a relaxed posture.

Just because someone has achieved admirable things like academic degrees or social fame/recognition doesn’t mean they’re confident about them. In fact, they may be high achievers because they have appallingly low self-esteem, and require external validation from people they admire in order to feel like they have any worth whatsoever.

2. A competitive nature.

A woman in a white blouse and sunhat sits at an outdoor table under a palm tree, typing on a laptop. She smiles while working, with a serene tropical background of a beach and lush greenery.

A person who’s striving towards high-ranking goals isn’t necessarily competing against anyone to achieve them. If anything, the only competition they have is with themselves. They may be trying to beat their own fastest race time or highest test score, but that has nothing to do with anyone else’s achievements.

3. High ambition.

A man with gray hair, wearing a striped shirt and denim overalls, is intensely focused on woodworking. He is using a hand plane on a piece of wood in a workshop setting with a brick wall and a window in the background.

It’s very possible that many of the people you know who have achieved the most in their lives have done so out of obligation rather than ambition. For example, someone whose parents will disown them if they don’t get a pharmacy degree isn’t a high achiever because they want to be.

4. A powerful ability to multitask.

A man with short dark hair and a beard sits on a white couch, concentrating on his laptop screen. He is wearing a teal button-down shirt over a grey t-shirt. The background includes a window with sheer curtains.

Although some people thrive when multitasking, it isn’t a universal trait amongst high achievers. In fact, many of them do best when focusing entirely on one thing at a time, and get frustrated or irritable if they’re interrupted. They need complete immersion in order to focus on their work properly.

5. An easy time learning new things.

A close-up of a person with closed eyes, appearing deep in thought. The individual has dark hair pulled back and is wearing a denim shirt. The background is blurred, suggesting an indoor setting such as an office or workspace.

While some people pick up new skills quickly and easily, others struggle with them and take a long time to get the hang of them. They may feel intensely self-conscious about how long it takes them to learn something new, and thus overcompensate for this by over-achieving with the skill in question.

6. Intense focus.

A man with short hair and a beard is sitting at a wooden table in a cozy café, intently working on his laptop. A small cup of espresso is placed next to the laptop. The background shows blurred café decor with warm lighting.

In contrast to those who need intense focus and immersion in order to concentrate, others need to be in the eye of a hurricane in order to get things done. These are the highly achieving people who will take their laptops to busy cafes to work instead of a library.

7. Self-discipline.

A woman with blonde hair gazes upward while leaning against a reflective glass surface. Her reflection is visible behind her. She is wearing a beige coat and a brown top. The sky is clear and blue in the background.

Many of the highest achievers in the world credit their success to tremendous self-discipline, but this isn’t the case across the board. Some high achievers fly by the seats of their pants: leaving assignments or deadlines to the last minute, being completely disorganized, and even succeeding despite self-sabotage.

8. Self-directed motivation.

A man sits on a couch holding a remote control, resting his chin on his hand, looking bored. He wears a gray and white long-sleeve shirt, with a green bottle on the table in front of him, and a white brick wall in the background.

You might know some successful people who set intentions for the day after starting their morning with yoga and a kale smoothie, and always seem to have the impetus to keep leaping forward. In contrast, many high achievers work in spurts, in between long periods of lethargy or even depression.

9. Perfectionism.

A woman with long brown hair wearing a blue sweater and jeans stands against a yellow background. She has a puzzled expression and is shrugging her shoulders with palms facing up.

Whereas some of the highest-achieving people around are meticulous perfectionists who over-analyze everything to ensure it’s up to scratch, others break boundaries, submit theses printed on construction paper, and do the bare minimum in order to squeak by. As such, they end up achieving amazing things despite their best efforts not to.

10. Risk-taking.

A man with long hair and a beard is sitting in a large, cushioned chair. He wears a blue button-up shirt over a white tee and rests his head on his hand while looking at the camera. The chair has a white, spiral frame. The background is softly lit.

Success often involves a lot of risk, and that includes the risk of failure. That said, a significant number of high achievers got there in complete safety and security. These are often the trust fund bunnies whose parents funded their achievements so they can simply coast along with them.

11. Strong social/interpersonal skills.

A woman with curly hair is seated indoors, resting her head on her hand, looking thoughtful or concerned. She wears a green blouse and a white top. In the background, a person is sitting on the floor, blurred and out of focus. The mood is contemplative.

A person who was valedictorian at school and has received numerous awards onstage might be assumed to have strong interpersonal skills—especially if they seem confident with public speaking. In reality, they may be highly introverted and socially awkward, and need days to recover from even the smallest social interactions.

12. Organization.

A person with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a brown sweater, sits at a desk in front of a computer. They are resting their head on their clasped hands, appearing deep in thought. There is a potted cactus and a desk lamp on the desk nearby.

Although it may seem contrary to high achievement, some of the most successful people aren’t naturally organized at all: they’re more like genius “nutty professors” who thrive in chaos. These folks often need help keeping on task, reminding them to blink, eat, sleep, and hydrate on a regular basis.