When High Performers Start “Job Hugging” and What Exceptional Leaders Do Next

Job hugging happens when a capable, reliable employee becomes overly attached to the safety of their current role. Instead of leaning into challenge or new opportunities, they cling to what’s familiar. In high-change environments, this is a natural psychological response: people gravitate toward predictability when the world around them feels unstable.

Neuroscience shows that the brain constantly scans for risk, and when uncertainty rises, it defaults to conserving cognitive and emotional energy. Even a top performer may narrow their focus to “what I know I can do well.”

We recently supported a global energy COO navigating this dynamic with one of her top directors. As the team entered the final quarter of the year—already pressured with deadlines, budget resets, and leadership transitions—she began noticing subtle shifts. He stopped volunteering ideas in meetings. He repeatedly deferred decisions. He focused heavily on routine tasks rather than strategic work. Nothing was “wrong,” but everything felt smaller. The moment she named it during our session, she said, “He’s hugging his job. It’s safe. And he thinks staying safe will get him through the year.” But in reality, it was creating drag on the entire leadership team’s momentum.

This is the real cost of job hugging: not just the loss of innovation or initiative, but the quiet cultural influence it has. Others begin to mimic the energy they see. Teams unintentionally normalize “good enough.” And in a disrupted, fast-moving organization, complacency—however subtle—is expensive.

Exceptional leaders don’t apply pressure to break complacency. Instead, they create conditions where growth feels safer than stagnation. They intervene early, reconnect their people to purpose and agency, and make it easier for team members to re-engage without shame or defensiveness.

Below are three strategies to interrupt job hugging and re-ignite forward movement—especially during year-end or other high-pressure cycles when the pattern is most likely to appear.

1. Reconnect Them to the “Why” Behind Their Work

Before behavior shifts, motivation does. When someone’s energy collapses inward, it’s often because they’ve lost connection to meaning, impact, or aspiration.

As a leader, explore:

• What feels less energizing than it did six months ago?

• Where do you feel you’re making the biggest difference—and where do you feel stuck?

• Which parts of the business strategy feel most exciting or aligned to your strengths?

This reframes the conversation from “protecting my bandwidth” to “expanding my contribution.” When our COO brought this into her next 1:1, the director admitted he felt disconnected from the larger transformation. That clarity opened the door to renewed engagement.

2. Give Them a Visible, Meaningful Stretch That Matches Their Capability

Most job huggers aren’t trying to avoid work—they’re trying to avoid risk. The antidote is a stretch assignment that is:

• Business-critical

• Time-bound

• Highly visible

• Supported by you or another senior leader

Examples include leading a cross-functional initiative, owning a Q1 readiness project, piloting a new process, or developing capability the team will rely on next year.

Stretch reignites identity. People reconnect to their best selves when they step into meaningful responsibility.

3. Make Growth Psychologically Safe—with Structure, Not Pep Talks

The number one reason job huggers don’t stretch? Fear—of failing, of being judged, or of disappointing leadership.

Counter this by offering support signals such as:

• A 15-minute weekly checkpoint

• Clear priorities (and the removal of non-essential work)

• Reinforcement like: “I don’t expect perfection—just forward motion”

• A mentor or partner to collaborate with

• Early, public acknowledgment of progress

Stretch + structure = sustainable confidence.

In the case of our COO client, once her director understood he had both ownership and support, he re-entered strategic leadership mode almost immediately. Within two weeks, the shift was visible across the team.

When you notice job hugging, consider it useful data—not a problem. It’s a signal that a talented person is drifting out of alignment with purpose or possibility. Your role is to guide them back to contribution, capability, and confidence. With the right conversations and intentional support, the turnaround can be swift—and catalytic for the entire organization.

Leadership Practice

The “Stretch & Support” Conversation

Use this 10-minute practice with any team member who may be job hugging—or proactively during end-of-year or beginning-of-year 1:1s.

Step 1: Name What You’re Seeing (Neutrally)

“I’ve noticed you’ve been operating steadily and reliably, which I appreciate. I’m also curious how you’re feeling about your growth right now.”

Step 2: Explore Their Internal Landscape

Ask:

• What part of your work feels too easy?

• Where do you feel underutilized?

• What’s one area where you want to feel more mastery or challenge?

Step 3: Co-Design a Stretch Aligned with Business Needs

Identify a challenge that is meaningful, visible, and creates growth. Examples:

• Leading a cross-functional initiative

• Owning a recurring problem

• Building capability the team will rely on next year

• Testing a new idea in a small pilot

Step 4: Add Support to Match the Stretch

Add the structural support needed to reduce risk and build confidence. Examples:

• Weekly check-in

• A mentor

• Clear priorities

• Flexibility on non-critical tasks

Step 5: Anchor the Purpose

Help them see the bigger picture:

• “This expands your influence.”

• “This builds future-ready skills.”

• “This positions you for what’s next.”

Author

Athena Williams, Founder and CEO of Tenacious Leadership Institute, has been supporting leaders worldwide to become more tenacious for over 20 years. She has found that tenacity is the key to sustained leadership success in today’s ever-changing world. Through her coaching and leadership development programs, she helps leaders expertly handle change, complexity and other challenges so they can quickly get better results for themselves, their teams and their organizations.

Take the first step to becoming a tenacious leader by scheduling a call with us.