The 90th Percentile: An Unconventional Leadership Podcast
Published: June 3, 2026
Why do so many capable professionals overestimate their effectiveness at work? And what are the hidden behaviors quietly limiting trust, credibility, communication, and career growth?
In this episode of The 90th Percentile, BreAnne Okoren sits down with Zenger Folkman co-founder Jack Zenger to explore new research on one of the most important drivers of professional growth: self-awareness. Drawing on data from thousands of individual contributors, they uncover a surprising gap between how employees view their own effectiveness and how their managers actually experience them.
BreAnne and Jack discuss the eight workplace behaviors people most commonly misjudge—including trust, communication, follow-through, initiative, and speaking up—and why these blind spots can stall development long before someone enters a leadership role. They also explore why traditional development programs often miss the mark and how organizations can begin building stronger contributors earlier through meaningful feedback and strengths-based development.
Whether you’re an individual contributor looking to accelerate your career or a leader responsible for developing talent, this episode offers practical insights on how greater self-awareness can become a powerful competitive advantage.
Zenger Folkman’s new development experience, Extraordinary You, is designed to help individual contributors build strengths, increase self-awareness, and accelerate growth at every stage of their career.
1. Self-awareness is a competitive advantage. The most effective professionals aren’t the ones who think they’re perfect—they’re the ones who have an accurate understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and impact on others.
2. Blind spots are more common than most people realize. Research shows that many individuals significantly overestimate their effectiveness in areas such as trust, communication, follow-through, and initiative, creating barriers to growth.
3. Feedback from others is more accurate than self-assessment alone. Managers and colleagues often have a clearer view of our effectiveness than we do ourselves. Without external feedback, development efforts can be built on faulty assumptions.
4. Small behaviors have a big impact on reputation. Trust, reliability, communication, and credibility are built through everyday actions. Consistently following through on commitments and aligning actions with words can dramatically improve effectiveness.
5. Development should start before leadership roles. Organizations often wait until employees become leaders to invest in development. The research suggests that building self-awareness and strengths earlier can significantly accelerate performance and career growth.
Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.
Podcast — 2026