Becoming a truly successful leader is hard. Staying successful is even more difficult!
About 20% of companies listed on the S&P 500 are dropped each year. Approximately 30% of all nonprofit organizations will shut down within 10 years of starting (National Center on Charitable Statistics). CEOs, nonprofit directors, and church leaders can experience a strong current of success early on, but then run aground. Why? Because while becoming a successful leader is hard, staying successful is even more difficult! Here are three reasons why we fail to remain successful and what we can do to prevent the fall.
Reasons We Fail to Maintain Success
1. Complacency
For some leaders, if they are fortunate enough to arrive in the elusive chair of success, they can begin to coast. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said, “‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared.” Success is notorious for breeding laziness. Complacency results when the effort required to achieve success is exchanged for entitlement and loss of discipline.
2. Fear
Proverbs 29:25 says that the fear of others is a snare – a deadly trap. While fear is not bad in the right amount, it can incapacitate even the most successful people. Some leaders who have experienced the heights of success may tell themselves it was just luck and that if they take any risks, they will likely be kicked off the throne they have started to enjoy.
3. Overconfidence
Confidence is essential for a leader’s success, but success breeds overconfidence faster than I drink Diet Coke. Overconfidence is just as deadly as its opposite, fear, and it can quickly unseat a successful leader. The success we achieve can become the source of our decline.
How We Can Maintain Our Success
So, what does it take to remain successful for an extended period? Most often it will be determined by these factors:
1. Our Heart
A well-grounded leader understands his or her own heart. This includes motives, character, strengths and weaknesses, and the humility required to acknowledge the role others play in our success. In 2022, Jalen Hurts, the star quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles said this: “I just want those guys to know that I’m going to give them everything I got, every game, every play, every ounce of studying, every ounce of preparation, it’s for the benefit of the group. Every ounce of accountability, whatever, it’s all for the team. I appreciate the opportunity.” This quote is all about heart – a heart that sustains success.
2. Our Head
I know you have heard this worn-out phrase before: “Leaders are learners.” Like a squirrel accumulating nuts, there are many leaders who acquire degrees, attend seminars, and read or listen to podcasts and yet fail to learn anything to put into practice. There is good evidence that leaders who remain successful for an extended period strive to learn from others and seek outside perspectives. I have seen this in our coaching work – some of the most successful leaders do not stop at learning, they are constantly applying new ideas and experimenting.
3. Our Coach(s)
Keeping our heart in the right place is essential, and it is often easier to do with a coach. A professional coach or gifted mentor can tamp down overconfidence when it starts to emerge and help us not be damaged by complacency. A coach can also push us to confront our fears and discomforts. In a recent interview, Psychologist Adam Grant said that if you never feel uncomfortable, you are probably not challenging yourself enough – discomfort fuels growth. Behind most successful leaders is an impactful coach.
4. Our Team
Just like in sports, we need both a coach and a team around us. And our “team” is not limited to our co-workers. It can also include our spouse, trusted friends, pastor, or even peers. Most leaders with a long history of success have an equally awesome tribe around them. Our team can add value in several ways: generating new ideas, testing our assumptions, developing strategies and tactics for new initiatives, encouraging us, and helping to keep us humble! And, when we allow them, they can warn us regarding our damaging blind spots.
Contact us to learn how our experienced coaches and consultants can help you maintain your success.
Jay Desko is the President & CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.
