The Weight of the Unspoken: When Data Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story

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 In my work at TVRLS, I spend a significant amount of time looking at data. We look at competency scores, 360-degree feedback trends, and psychometric profiles. Data is comforting; it provides a map in the often-foggy landscape of human behavior. But lately, I’ve been thinking about what happens in the margins of that data—the things people don't say in an assessment, but show in every other way.

I recently observed a high-potential leader during a simulation. On paper, his scores were near perfect. He was decisive, strategic, and articulate. But throughout the day, I noticed how he held his breath before answering a difficult question, and how he checked his phone with a specific kind of urgency every time there was a two-minute break.

When we finally sat down for the feedback session, I didn't start with the scores. I asked, "What’s been weighing on you lately?"

There was a long silence—the kind of silence I’ve learned to respect in consulting. Then, he admitted that while he was performing at his peak, he felt like he was "running on a treadmill that only goes faster." He was successful, but he was exhausted.

This is the human side of talent management that a spreadsheet can't always capture. If we only look at the "9-box grid" or the competency report, we see a "Top Talent." If we look at the person, we see someone on the verge of burnout.

As HR professionals and consultants, our job isn't just to measure performance; it's to measure the cost of that performance. It’s about realizing that a "high-potential" label is a heavy thing to carry. When we design systems for people, we must ensure those systems have enough space for the person to breathe, to struggle, and to be more than just a data point.

Because at the end of the day, the most important metric isn't how high someone can climb—it's how sustainably they can stay there.

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