During a recent workshop, one of our participants shared an analogy that stopped me in my tracks. We were discussing the "doer phenomenon" - you know, those incredible people who jump in and get things done rather than waiting around for others to step up.

Don't get me wrong, we absolutely love self-starters. They're the engine that keeps teams moving forward. But as our participant pointed out, there's a tipping point where even our most capable doers can overextend themselves.

His analogy? Think of doers like cordial.

Stay with me on this one - it's brilliant.

Cordial has this intense, concentrated flavour that transforms ordinary water into something vibrant and refreshing. When you get the ratio just right, it's perfect - the cordial gives the water character, color, and taste while the water allows the cordial to reach its full potential.

But here's where it gets interesting. Keep adding more water, and something happens. The cordial keeps giving and giving until its flavour becomes so diluted that it barely registers. At that point, it's lost its entire purpose - it's no longer adding the value it was meant to provide.

Sound familiar?

Our doers often find themselves in this exact situation. They start strong, adding tremendous value and flavour to their teams. But without boundaries or support, they keep stretching themselves thinner and thinner across more tasks, more responsibilities, more problems to solve.

Eventually, they reach that dilution point where their impact becomes so spread out that they're no longer operating at their best. They've lost their concentrated strength - the very thing that made them so valuable in the first place.

The lesson? Even our most capable people need the right environment to thrive. Sometimes the best thing we can do for our doers is help them find their optimal concentration - that sweet spot where they're adding maximum flavour without losing their essence.

What's your take? Have you seen this cordial effect in your own team?