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\n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n
Success teaches valuable lessons, including some that quietly hold us back. When you\u2019re hitting revenue targets, earning promotions and receiving awards, it\u2019s natural to double down on the behaviors that got you there. Then progress slows, and you no longer experience the same rate of growth. You\u2019ve reached what I call the plateau paradox.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re succeeding by every conventional measure, yet you feel stuck. I\u2019ve experienced that unsettling feeling several times throughout my career. But this feeling, as unpleasant as it is, can be the reality check you need to take the next step in your career. I knew it was time to expand my capabilities, challenge my assumptions and redefine what the next level of leadership required of me.<\/p>\n
Entrepreneurs<\/a> don\u2019t fear plateaus. Plateaus are simply the beginning of what\u2019s next. My own breakthroughs began when I embraced three mindset shifts that continue to shape how I lead today.<\/p>\n I love mentoring. It\u2019s what inspired me to help launch the Louisiana Impact Fund\u2019s CXO Leadership Program<\/a>. When an emerging leader tells me they\u2019ve hit a plateau, I share a simple truth: Every new level of leadership demands new capabilities. It\u2019s a sobering realization, especially when you\u2019ve built a reputation for strong execution. I know because I was that leader.<\/p>\n My breakthrough came when I stopped asking, \u201cHow do I contribute more?\u201d and started asking, \u201cHow can we scale an enterprise capable of achieving far more together?\u201d I made a fundamental shift from a high-performing individual contributor to an enterprise mindset. I stopped measuring success by quarterly execution and started setting the vision for where the business needed to be 24 to 36 months ahead. That perspective quickly revealed an entirely new set of leadership capabilities to master.<\/p>\n Success was no longer defined solely by driving sales growth<\/a> or leading technology transformation. It demanded organizational design, strategic planning, talent development, partnership building and driving organizations on a global scale. That\u2019s what happens when your perspective widens. Your next stage of growth begins.<\/p>\n As an endurance athlete, I\u2019ve learned that every climb begins with discomfort. Reaching the next peak requires mental fortitude to embrace it and the discipline to stay the course. Every meaningful breakthrough begins with uncertainty. Progress will get worse before it gets better. Don\u2019t let a dip in progress derail your growth trajectory, but embrace it as part of the learning curve.<\/p>\n When I transitioned from a long career in technology leadership to co-founding a new venture, I knew I was stepping into unfamiliar territory. In many ways, I had become a student again. Because I expected and embraced the dip, I didn\u2019t fall back on old habits when progress slowed \u2014 and it did. I stayed curious, kept learning, adapted quickly and made sound decisions aligned with a long-term vision.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the power of embracing the dip. The leaders who break through aren\u2019t the ones who avoid uncertainty. They prepare for it, stay open to learning and emerge stronger because of it.<\/p>\n In the early hours of the morning, a life-changing email from my CEO landed in the inbox of our business unit executive. He posed a challenge that would change the trajectory of my career. If Intel was truly going to become a technology-first company, every employee around the world \u2014 from the U.S. to China to the Philippines \u2014 must have access to a PC and the internet. It was an ambitious initiative that would help lay the foundation for our digital transformation, and the CEO wanted to be ambitious with the impact.<\/p>\n So, I raised my hand \u2013 I wanted to be part of the team. The next day, I had one thought: \u201cWhat did I just sign up for?\u201d Over the next two years, that assignment became one of the greatest leadership accelerators of my career. The challenge wasn\u2019t addressing the technology alone. It was leading a global transformation across different cultures, regulatory environments and organizational structures while aligning people around the world behind a shared vision.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when my CEO\u2019s words took on a whole new meaning: \u201cSuccess breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive.\u201d I didn\u2019t have all the answers, but I volunteered because I believed the challenge would help me become the leader it required. That single decision expanded my thinking, accelerated my transformation into an enterprise leader and reshaped how I\u2019ve approached every opportunity since. The next time a stretch assignment presents itself, don\u2019t ask, \u201cAm I ready?\u201d Ask instead: \u201cWho will I become if I say yes?\u201d<\/p>\n If there\u2019s one lesson my career has taught me, it\u2019s that growth requires forward momentum before it creates lift. Entrepreneurship often works the same way. When you widen your perspective, embrace the dip and raise your hand before you\u2019re ready, you\u2019ll stop mistaking temporary discomfort for failure. You\u2019ll recognize it is the momentum required for your next breakthrough. Many people experience the dip and turn back. The best leaders persevere. If you\u2019ve reached a plateau, remember that this is not where your growth ends. It\u2019s the next runway from which your next breakthrough takes flight.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Success teaches valuable lessons, including some that quietly hold us back. When you\u2019re hitting revenue targets, earning promotions and receiving awards, it\u2019s natural to double down on the behaviors that got you there. Then progress slows, and you no longer experience the same rate of growth. You\u2019ve reached what I call the plateau paradox.<\/p>\n You\u2019re succeeding by every conventional measure, yet you feel stuck. I\u2019ve experienced that unsettling feeling several times throughout my career. But this feeling, as unpleasant as it is, can be the reality check you need to take the next step in your career. I knew it was time to expand my capabilities, challenge my assumptions and redefine what the next level of leadership required of me.<\/p>\nWiden your perspective<\/h2>\n
Growth gets worse before it gets better<\/h2>\n
Raise your hand before you\u2019re ready<\/h2>\n
Make the plateau your runway<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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