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7 Signs You May Have Peaked as a Leader

No leader wants to peak.

And even fewer leaders want to peak early. I suppose at some point we all peak. But, personally, I’m shooting for that to happen at age 85 … or 90.

Yet, peaking happens regularly in leadership; leaders who were great stop being great, even years (or decades) before they retire.

How does that happen?

And—even more significantly—how would you know if that’s you?

Peaking as a leader rarely happens overnight. It happens over a season or a few years.

But there are signs. Ironically, the leaders who peak are often the last to know it.

Here are seven signs you may have peaked as a leader.

1. You’ve stopped learning and want to be the teacher

Being a great leader is really about being a great learner. Great leaders learn daily.

You learn about yourself, about others, about trends. You stretch. You grow.

There’s something inside most of us that asks, “When will I be done?”

The answer: never.

Leaders who peak stop learning, and instead want to become the teacher.

There’s actually nothing wrong with teaching others.

It’s just that the teaching of truly great leaders resonates because they’re still learning. Daily.

2. You feel entitled

When you start out in leadership, you realize you’re entitled to pretty much nothing. Everything has be to earned.

But success brings its privileges.

You might get an office, a parking space, a good salary (finally!), opportunities, perks and even the respect and admiration of your peers.

The best leaders never feel entitled to any of that.

In fact, they consistently use the perks of leadership in service of a mission greater than themselves.

And they do one more thing: They hold it all loosely, realizing that the privileges of leadership came and will one day go.

How do you know whether you’re starting to feel entitled?

Easy … check your gratitude.

Leaders who feel entitled to everything are grateful for nothing.

When perks become an expectation, you’ve peaked.