What Happens When Leaders Reach Their Peak?

Many people dedicate their lives to the pursuit of the unattainable, to a dream so ambitious that it seems that they will never make it. This gives them meaning, it fills them with passion, and although the goalposts may change, the constant momentum is what makes them get up in the morning. I certainly can relate….

Then, there are the rare few who smash all their personal and professional goals way before everyone else even gets near. They are “Masters Of The Universe” in their early 30’s. They have ticked off every item on their career bucket list, had their fill of personal glory and financial bounty, and met every stretch target that they have ever set themselves.

However, I have seen it happen more than once that their professional lives start to lose meaning at this point – they can easily become disillusioned and in the extreme even become a liability to their organisation. With this attitude, there is only one way to go – down….

For those leaders who only think about themselves, this is always a risk. For those who recognise the contributions of others on their way up, there is a whole new dimension of challenges. They can make the decision to make their careers not about themselves, but about others.

When I was much younger (and rather naive), I couldn’t understand the desire of the older business leaders to mentor the younger generation. I didn’t get what was in it for them – on face value it didn’t add to their success, it didn’t further their careers. They had already achieved a lot, why waste time with a load of kids just out of university? Only now can I fully understand this search for meaning, and with this, taking a vicarious pleasure in the achievements of others.

They don’t stop being go-getters, but their energies start to be focussed externally rather than internally. The leaders who are the most generous with their time and knowledge are those who stay at the top for the longest. If you are at the “top” and feel you have nowhere else to go, your contribution to the business can lessen. If you are helping others to develop, then your impact on the business is potentially higher than it ever has been. Great leaders achieve through others because they often feel they have finished achieving directly for themselves. This doesn’t mean that they have stopped achieving. It just means they now measure their achievements in another way.

It is true to say that leaders might often seek motivation in other areas of their life – leisure pursuits, charity work or other business interests. They are not the sort of people to get bored, and will always gravitate towards other challenges. However, once they have enjoyed the feeling of giving someone else the benefit of their knowledge, there is no looking back.

The best leaders reach their peak then act as Sherpas to guide others along the path to success.