#89 - When the spotlight fades...

28 Nov 25

Many mid-career professionals eventually feel a painful shift: the sense that their best years, biggest wins and 'superstar era' may well be behind them.

This moment isn’t a dead end it’s a turning point. When handled intentionally, it becomes the transition from individual brilliance to strategic influence.

This issue breaks down what’s happening, why it matters, and how to respond so you can build a second peak that’s higher, more sustainable, and more meaningful than your first.

What?

The realisation that you've peaked rarely arrives with drama. It shows up as a subtle collection of signals:

• You’re no longer the default choice for high-visibility work,

• Younger or hungrier colleagues are moving faster,

• Your reputation is strong, but the momentum has slowed,

• You feel less essential than you once did,

• Your current role feels like maintenance rather than mastery.

This is the moment where many mid-career leaders quietly wonder:

'Is my time as the standout performer over?'

In truth, your initial peak has passed. But your career hasn’t peaked — unless you stop evolving.

Why?

Careers shift from performance to influence. Your first career peak is driven by:

• Technical excellence,

• Individual brilliance,

• Ambition,

• Speed,

• Visibility.

These get you noticed.
They get you promoted.
They define your early wins.

But as you progress, organisations need something entirely different:

• Judgement,

• Strategic awareness,

• Influence,

• Leadership of others,

• Cross-Functional impact.

That means your old identity, the high-performing, high-output 'star player' becomes less valuable. Not because you’ve declined, but because the game has changed.

If you cling to your old peak, you stagnate.
If you evolve, you rise.

This is why this moment matters:

Feeling like you’ve peaked is actually the signal that your next chapter is ready to begin.

How?

How should this be managed and what is the playbook? Here’s the practical, tactical process leaders use to build their second, and far more significant peak.

a. Accept the feedback, not the finality - This is not a career obituary.
It’s a career pivot point.

Instead of resisting the feeling, treat it as crucial data:

• Something about your context or skillset must evolve.

• The old formula won’t generate the next level of success.

Embrace the truth early and you accelerate the transition.

b. Run a career 'Red Team' audit - Pressure-test your assumptions with strategic honesty:

• Which strengths are no longer as valuable?

• Where has your industry or organisation shifted?

• What problems exist that no one is owning?

• Where could you create disproportionate value?

This reframes the moment from loss to opportunity.

c. Redefine your value proposition - Your identity is shifting from:

'Look what I can deliver personally.'

to

'Look what I can shape, enable and scale.'

Create a professional narrative that reflects:

• Strategic insight,

• Cross-Functional impact,

• Systems thinking,

• Leadership maturity.

This becomes your new differentiator.

d. Upgrade to multiplier skills - Your next peak is powered by influence, not output.

Focus on:

• Communication,

• Executive presence,

• Decision quality,

• Team acceleration,

• Organisational navigation,

• Conflict and alignment mastery.

These are leverage skills, they expand your impact beyond your personal capacity.

e. Build your second peak deliberately - Don’t wait for a promotion or project to revive your relevance.

Create momentum yourself:

• Lead a Cross-Functional initiative,

• Mentor emerging leaders,

• Shape strategy for an overlooked problem,

• Launch a capability your organisation lacks,

• Become the go-to operator for clarity and alignment.

Visibility will follow value, not the other way around.

In Summary

Realising your early-career peak has passed can feel like a loss, but it’s actually an invitation.

The first peak is about performance.
The second peak is about influence, maturity and strategic leadership.

Your career hasn’t peaked.
Your old role has.

When you embrace this shift, re-audit your value, upgrade your leverage skills, and intentionally build your next chapter, you discover something surprising:

'Your second mountain is always higher'.

Have a great week!

Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help you:

1. Resources - Reading is an essential component to developing your own authentic leadership style. Check out my resources page for really inspiring books which I have found invaluable within my own leadership journey,
2. Springboard Store - Check out my store where you will find a mixture of FREE and paid products.
3. Leadership Skills Evaluator - If you are an experienced leader, how do you assess if your current skillset is up to date, or if you have any gaps? Or understand if it is developed enough to equip you for the next two roles? This is where the Leadership Skills Evaluator comes in. Answer 30 questions spread across 10 key leadership areas to assess your current capability. It's absolutely FREE to take the assessment, and you will receive a personalised report delivered immediately into your Inbox on completion! Here's the link.