These are the risks and downsides of being a go-to person

You’ve probably heard the saying, “If you need to get something done, give it to the busiest person you know.”

This statement often rings true. However, if you find yourself nodding along to this, you could be doing yourself a disservice. Yes, reliability and dependability are strengths, but they can quickly become your Achilles heel if you’re everyone’s go-to person, all the time. 

Research shows that teams composed of people who are dependable perform better. In fact, Google’s Project Aristotle found dependability to be the second most important factor in high-performing teams. And yet if this dependability extends beyond the sustainable (for example, if it turns into hyper-independence or people-pleasing), what starts as well-intentioned can result in a myriad of negative outcomes.

The possibility of quiet cracking

We get it. Being the go-to person feels good. It gives you a sense of purpose and contribution. But saying “yes” at all costs, even when you’re overloaded, has a real impact on your professional performance, and on you personally. The unintended consequences of being everyone’s go-to person can result in workload imbalances, unspoken resentment towards your team, and even quiet cracking, which are precursors to burnout.

Quiet cracking is a subtle, internal experience of emotional and mental depletion that happens when you feel stretched too far for too long. And it makes sense, being everyone’s go-to person without feeling appreciated or a sense of progress and advancement will likely leave you unhappy and unmotivated. It happens somewhere between burnout and quiet quitting, when you still show up and perform, but your engagement is silently eroding.

So if you’re a high performer who is quietly cracking beneath the surface, it might be time to take off that busy badge and honor how you’re really feeling. This is a call to action for those quiet go-to people who are feeling resentful, tired, irritable, or have just had enough. The reality is that when you’re spread too thin, you can’t perform at your best. 

Here are four things you can do right now to help yourself.

1. Acknowledge how you’re really feeling

You can’t fix what you won’t face, and denial isn’t a long-term strategy for success. The first step to breaking the cycle is admitting that the way you’re working right now isn’t sustainable. High performers are often the best at pushing through, even when they’re exhausted. However, resilience without reflection quickly becomes self-sacrifice.

Start by allowing yourself to pause and be honest. Are you coping, or just going through the motions? Acknowledging the truth isn’t weakness. It’s the gateway to change. Is the way you’re working today actually taking you to where you want to go?

2. Get clear on the priorities and set boundaries around what’s not

Get clear on the tasks that are most mission-critical in your role for both individual and team success. When everything becomes a priority, nothing is. Once you have clarity around key priorities, protect your time and energy to focus on those by setting better boundaries. Learn to communicate with your manager when work demands aren’t realistic. Set firmer boundaries with your colleagues and team members about what work you’re accountable for, and what’s within their remit.

When you’re always saying “yes,” you’re teaching others how to treat you and demonstrating that you’re always available when people need you. Instead, be clear about what capacity you do have, and what you need to deprioritize if you’re to take on extra responsibility. If you need to say no to your coworkers, say something along the lines of, “I understand this project is important to you, let’s bring it to the table with the team to see who’s best placed to help.”

3. Share the load so that you don’t carry it alone

You don’t build thriving teams due to one hero. You build them on shared ownership, distributed responsibility, and collective accountability. If you’re always the one stepping in, fixing things, or saving the day, you may unknowingly be holding the team back from developing capability, confidence, and resilience. When you take everything on, others don’t get the chance to learn, experiment, or rise to the challenge.

Start by getting curious: Where are the bottlenecks? Where does work pile up around you? What tasks could someone else take on with support? Instead of quietly carrying more, raise the issue with your manager from a solutions-focused perspective. Not only does this relieve pressure on you, but it also lifts the bar for everyone. 

4. Redesign your role around your strengths 

Dependability is your strength, but every overplayed strength can become an Achilles heel. If the work that once energized you now leaves you depleted, it’s worth reflecting on where you can best use your skills.

Consider which tasks light you up versus the ones that flatten your energy. Use this self-awareness as a starting point for a conversation with your manager about workload design, growth pathways, and skill development. Figure out where you can add the most value, and what you may be able to redesign so that you can thrive. You don’t need to do everything to be valuable. Often, the work that drains you might be an opportunity for someone else to grow. When you realign your role with what you do best, your performance improves and so does your well-being.

Being the go-to person doesn’t make you indispensable; it makes you invisible when you’re struggling. Boundaries, collaboration, and better role design aren’t signs of weakness; they’re leadership behaviors. When you protect your time, share responsibility, and play to your strengths, you create space for your best work, and for others to rise too.