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Original survey data on the gap between what people believe they’re capable of and what they actually do — free to cite, with charts, methodology, and expert commentary available.
In a 2026 survey of 200+ working adults — including more than 100 managers, senior leaders, and executives — 92% said they’re capable of more than they’re doing now, and 63% said “significantly more.” Yet 78% admit they delay action on things they know they should do, and 85% second-guess themselves because of their internal voice. The #1 barrier isn’t time or resources — it’s self-doubt (40%), ahead of fear of failure (37%) and busyness (36%). And rank doesn’t fix it: leaders feel the potential gap more sharply than everyone else, yet hesitate almost as often.
The stats, ready to cite.
All figures from The Untapped Potential Report (Chris Sund, 2026), n=200+. Citation format is at the bottom of this page.
63% say “significantly more.”
38% daily, 33% weekly. Only 7% say “rarely.”
Procrastination, not ambition, is the bottleneck.
Self-doubt is the #1 barrier at 40%, ahead of fear of failure (37%), time (36%), comfort (29%), and lack of clarity (25%).
67% of leaders believe they’re capable of “significantly more” (vs. 58% of everyone else) — yet 73% still delay action they know they should take, and 80% second-guess themselves. Seniority sharpens the sense of untapped potential; it doesn’t remove the hesitation.
Four ways to cover this.
The confidence gap reaches the C-suite
80% of managers and executives second-guess themselves and 73% delay known priorities — a workforce-development story hiding in the org chart’s top half.
Your retention problem may be a potential problem
When 71% of workers feel they fall short of their potential every single week, engagement and turnover conversations look different. Commentary available from a staffing-industry President & COO who sees both sides.
It’s not laziness — it’s self-doubt
Workers ranked self-doubt (40%) and fear of failure (37%) above time and busyness (36%) as what holds them back — a counterintuitive finding for L&D and manager-training coverage.
“More” doesn’t mean money
Asked what would change if they reached their potential, respondents described purpose, energy, confidence, and being a more present parent — a human-interest angle backed by open-ended survey data.
How to cite this research.
Methodology: The Untapped Potential Report is based on a 2026 survey of more than 200 working adults, including 100+ respondents in manager, senior leader, or executive roles. The survey combined multiple-choice and open-ended questions about self-assessed potential, frequency of falling short, barriers to action, and intentionality with time. Full question set and breakdowns are in the PDF.
You’re free to cite any figure in articles, newsletters, presentations, and broadcasts. Please attribute as:
The Untapped Potential Report, Chris Sund / YouAreCapableOfMore.com, 2026 — with a link to youarecapableofmore.com/untapped-potential-report
Charts from the report and the page may be reproduced with the same attribution. For custom data cuts, the full response set, or embeddable graphics, email Chris@YouAreCapableOfMore.com.
Chris Sund — boilerplate & availability.
Boilerplate (free to use): Chris Sund is President & COO of national healthcare staffing firms Uniti Med and GQR Healthcare, where he helped scale a company 12x to a #3 ranking on the Inc. 5000 Midwest list while earning Best Places to Work honors. He is a national keynote speaker, a Maxwell Leadership Certified Coach, founder of the Amplify Speakers bureau, and author of You Are Capable of More (August 2026). He conducted The Untapped Potential Report to quantify the gap between what people believe they’re capable of and what they act on.
Available for: expert commentary and quotes on workforce potential, self-doubt at work, leadership development, and healthcare staffing; podcast and broadcast interviews; contributed articles built on the report’s data.
Assets: the full report PDF is above; high-resolution headshots, the book cover, and bio variants are available on request within one business day. More at the author page and chrissund.com.
Working on a story? We’ll move fast.
Quotes, custom data cuts, and interview availability — typically same or next business day.
Chris@YouAreCapableOfMore.com
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