The Success Trap — When What Got You Here Starts Getting in the Way

Leaders are like elite athletes: both are part of a small group of high performers focused on continuous improvement. One lesson leaders can take from athletes is that they don’t just power through. They pay attention to micro-signals (e.g., muscular imbalances that throw off form) to train smarter and stay on track for growth. Leadership works the same way: the earlier you notice what’s shifting, the easier it is to recalibrate and keep momentum without burning out or missing the mark.

As your scope expands, so do the variables that are in play. You deal with more ambiguity, more interdependence, and fewer levers for direct influence. High performers naturally lean on what’s made them successful: clear execution, fast decision-making, and strong directional control. But even effective strategies can create drag when complexity outpaces the logic those strategies were built for. As Kahneman explains in Thinking, Fast and Slow, under pressure, we tend to default to fast, familiar patterns because our brains prioritize cognitive efficiency. To grow as a leader, you have to be constantly updating the frameworks that shape how you lead, jettisoning the routines that are efficient but off, and building in the space and energy to grow into schemas that better serve you.

There’s a well-documented tendency for high performers to double down on familiar strategies when the stakes go up. That’s not a failure of judgment—it’s how the brain maintains efficiency under pressure. But those strategies, built for earlier stages of your role or career, can become limiting when your context evolves. Research shows that deep expertise can narrow adaptive thinking, and that under stress or ambiguity, we default to what’s familiar even when it’s no longer effective. Creative problem solving requires space and recalibration (and not just grit and repetition).

You probably find yourself doing what’s always worked (or a close variant of it). It just isn’t working the same way. The instincts that brought you where you are aren’t failing, they’re just solving for a context that’s already changed. What looks like friction is often just a framework that hasn’t kept pace.

That’s where coaching comes in. It surfaces the unspoken rules you’ve been using to navigate complexity. It challenges legacy assumptions and creates a space to experiment with new approaches in familiar environments. One evidence-based approach involves setting precommitments to try different responses when your default instincts kick in. But to do that well, you first need to recognize the default (and determine whether it's still serving you).

The most effective leaders don’t wait for a breakdown to evolve. They assume growth will require new internal logic and they plan for it. They also know authenticity isn’t about staying the same. It’s about coherence with your values while showing up differently when the context shifts. You don’t need to become someone else. You need to lead with more range, more clarity, and more adaptability—as yourself. You were chosen for this role for a reason.

If you’re sensing friction, consider this your inflection point. Ask yourself: What patterns am I repeating that might not fit anymore? Where am I pushing harder when I could be thinking differently? And what assumptions about how I lead might be ready for an update? This isn’t about fixing a flaw. It’s about evolving on purpose.