There is a condescension to this thing where people say “hey, that’s ok too” when it’s actually not ok for themselves. I can accept that, it is what it is, but it’s definitely there.
- always fun to be around (a consequence of not being overloaded)
- the guy to say "the emperor has no clothes" (having time to look around does that)
- always accurate with his estimates (because he really doesn't want to work overtime)
- always high-quality with his output (because he's not rushed)
Done right, working at 80% speed means that you have 20% of your time to pick up the super-high-value tasks that might otherwise fall by the wayside.
Now, maybe he'll get promoted more slowly than his potential as a striver, but I don't actually think that's going to happen.