Nikhyl Singhal wrote a fantastic article below that gets really specific on what it means when people say “what got you here won’t get you there”. I’ve also heard it described as “any strength overused becomes a critical weakness”.
It’s so hard to let go of a mindset or behavior that has brought you great success, especially when you don’t see the ways it is holding you back. You dismiss problems as other people’s sensitivity or inability to handle feedback, and yet you are the one who can change the dynamic. This lack of awareness can stall your leadership journey, as Singhal describes.
I love working with such clients because they are smart, motivated, and ambitious, so if I can just nudge them into seeing how they are holding themselves back, they accelerate quickly with their new playbook.