When excellence becomes a trap.

Sometimes the very traits that make someone an exceptional clinician and healthcare leader can become the biggest barriers to their sustained success.

High performers can share a distinctive psychological profile. They're typically driven by a commitment to excellence, possess remarkable problem-solving abilities, and demonstrate extraordinary resilience under pressure. These qualities have propelled them to leadership positions. However, these same characteristics can create unique challenges when not properly understood and managed.

The excellence trap manifests in several ways. High performers developed their reputation by being the person who could always solve the problem, handle the crisis, or improve the system. This creates a powerful psychological reward system - their identity becomes intrinsically linked to being the problem-solver, the fixer, the one who can handle anything. While this might have been an effective strategy early in their career, it becomes unsustainable mid-career as commitments snowball both in and out of work.

High-performing leaders often struggle to delegate not because they don't trust their teams, but because their brain has been wired to associate personal involvement with successful outcomes. This creates a cognitive bias where stepping back feels like risking failure, even when delegation would actually lead to better results.

Many healthcare leaders privately admit to feeling like they're walking a tightrope - needing to appear consistently confident and in control while managing increasing complexity and uncertainty. This cognitive dissonance between their internal experience and external presentation can lead to chronic stress and impaired decision-making.

Another common pattern is the tendency to overextend their sphere of control. High performers are often excellent at identifying problems and generating solutions. However, this can lead to taking on challenges beyond their remit, creating unsustainable workloads.

Understanding these psychological patterns is important. The key is not to eliminate high-performing traits but to evolve them. This means:

💡Redefining excellence to include effective delegation and team development

💡Recognizing that showing vulnerability can enhance rather than diminish leadership authority

💡Understanding that maintaining boundaries is a form of organisational leadership

 💡Accepting that not every problem needs your personal attention to be solved effectively

Successful healthcare leaders learn to harness their high-performing nature while avoiding its pitfalls. They develop the wisdom to know when to step in and when to step back, when to drive change and when to maintain stability, when to rely on their expertise and when to trust their team's capabilities.

The goal isn't to become less excellent - it's to redefine excellence in a way that's sustainable and serves both the organization and the leader's long-term effectiveness.