Picture this: you’re climbing a mountain. The air thins. Your legs burn. But finally, there it is—the summit. You plant your flag. You celebrate. Then… you realise something terrifying. The ground beneath you is crumbling. Because in business, the higher you climb, the heavier the avalanche you risk triggering.
We’ve all seen it. A start-up rockets to unicorn status, only to implode. A beloved household brand vanishes overnight. Why? Because success isn’t a destination—it’s a trapdoor.
Let me show you the four invisible tripwires success lays:
1. “The Founder Fantasy” [Level 1 → 2 Trap]
Early on, we lionise founders. “Without Steve, there’s no Apple!” But here’s the problem: heroes cast long shadows.
Imagine your company as a stage play. If the script lives only in the lead actor’s head, the show dies when they leave. Yet we keep applauding the solo performance. Why? Because we mistake charisma for infrastructure.
How many of you have a “tribal knowledge” vault? Those unwritten rules, the “Sarah knows how to fix the printer” quirks? That’s not culture—it’s organisational amnesia waiting to happen.
2. “The Superstar Illusion” [Level 2 → 3 Trap]
Next phase: hiring rockstars! But here’s the dirty secret: systems hate heroes.
Say you’ve got a sales wizard closing 50% of deals. You build a statue in their honour. Then they quit. Panic! Why? Because you traded predictable processes for personality cults. You’re not scaling—you’re running a talent agency.
We’re hardwired to overvalue the visible (a star employee) and undervalue the invisible (a bulletproof onboarding system). It’s like preferring a fireworks display to the electrical grid that powers it.
3. “The Bureaucracy Boomerang” [Level 3 → 4 Trap]
Ah, systems! Spreadsheets! KPIs! But beware: processes age like milk, not wine.
Take Blockbuster. They had perfect systems… for 2003. Meanwhile, Netflix started mailing DVDs, then streaming, then producing shows. Their secret? They built a “habit of obsolescence.”
Your policies are like smartphone chargers. What worked for iPhone 4 fries an iPhone 15. Yet most companies keep using the same plugs, then wonder why innovation gets electrocuted.
4. “The Culture Cult” [Level 4 → ? Trap]
Even “great cultures” fossilise. Ever heard a team say, “We’re like a family!”? Red flag. Families don’t fire underperforming uncles.
Your culture is either a greenhouse nurturing new growth… or a museum preserving relics. And let’s be honest—nobody visits a museum expecting tomatoes.
So how do we escape? Simple: burn your own playbook.
- Founders: Teach someone your “magic tricks” before they demand them.
- Leaders: Replace “Employee of the Month” with “System of the Month.”
- Teams: Schedule quarterly “What If?” days. (“What if our top product vanished?”)
When LEGO’s profits crashed, they didn’t just restructure—they rebuilt their identity. Out: relying on plastic bricks. In: movies, video games, robotics. They didn’t abandon success; they evolved it.
Ladies and gentlemen, true scale isn’t about getting bigger. It’s about staying alive. The companies that thrive aren’t the ones who reach peaks—they’re the ones who keep rearranging the mountain.
So I leave you with this: What part of your success is already digging your grave? And more importantly—are you brave enough to set it on fire?
The summit isn’t the end. It’s just the starting point… for your next climb.