They’re the “can’t-miss” leaders. Yet the uncomfortable truth is that many of these rising stars will never reach the C-suite. Not because they lack intellect, ambition, or results—but because the excellence that propels them upward can mask the gaps that will ultimately hold them back.
For CHROs, this isn’t just a talent challenge—it’s a strategic vulnerability. A broken pipeline slows succession and destabilizes confidence in the organization’s leadership bench. The solution is to rethink what it means to prepare someone for enterprise leadership.
Here, we explore how the excellence trap plays out in practice, and the specific steps CHROs can take to avoid it.
Joey Berk
Leadership advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates
Many organizations assume that exceptional performers will continue to succeed indefinitely. But potential is not permanent—it can fade without active development work.
A leader who was at the top of their cohort several years ago may have plateaued without realizing it. Yet, because they’ve been tagged as “high potential” and consistently rewarded for their results, few people stop to challenge their approach.
The reality is that rising stars rarely derail because of a lack of talent. More often, they fail to evolve the very traits that made them successful earlier in their careers.
From the work we do globally to develop high potential leaders, five recurring patterns stand out.
Early success often breeds overconfidence. High performers become so focused on winning the race to the next role, or chasing the next title, that they stop asking whether they're truly ready for it.
They are also so used to hearing they’re exceptional that they lose touch with what they still need to learn. Without humility and curiosity, leaders stop listening to others and overlook the need for continued growth. Current talent shortages only compound this challenge, with leaders promoted faster than ever, often without the skills needed for their expanded scope.
Andrew White
Leadership advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates
High-performing leaders often receive less honest feedback than their peers. Managers may hesitate to challenge them for fear of demotivating a top performer. And leaders themselves often close their ears to feedback. Being tapped as “high potential” can breed entitlement, which manifests as selective hearing. Craving validation, not challenge and honest feedback, they only listen to people who reinforce their narrative.
Over time, this creates a dangerous gap between how leaders see themselves and how others experience them. Without regular, candid input, small blind spots grow into major misalignments.
Christiana Vonofakou
Leadership advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates
High potentials are often rewarded for their ability to deliver results through hands-on execution. But in the C-suite, there’s an expectation to move from "delivering results yourself" to "orchestrating others to deliver at scale."
The transition from “doing” to “enabling” requires entirely new capabilities: delegation, empowerment, and systemic thinking. Leaders who miss this inflection point get stuck in operational details when they should be thinking strategically. The very behaviors that once fueled their rise now signal they're not ready for what's next.
Many rising leaders simply haven’t had the opportunity to experience the full complexity of the enterprise. They may have excelled in their lane but lack exposure to other functions, geographies, or external stakeholders such as boards and investors.
Without that breadth, their judgment is constrained by what they know firsthand. They struggle to anticipate expectations, navigate politics, and make decisions that reflect the broader organizational ecosystem. Without this perspective, rising stars risk being technically strong but strategically unprepared.
Many high potentials have never truly failed. Their careers have been a series of wins, so they lack the drive and resilience needed to thrive in the C-suite. When the formula keeps working, there’s little incentive to change it.
Over time, this creates a kind of professional comfort zone—where leaders continue to excel but stop evolving. But comfort is the enemy of progress. These leaders appear confident and capable, but they’re no longer stretching, learning, or adapting. Their performance may look stellar on paper, yet their readiness for the next level quietly erodes.
Scott E. Smith
Leadership advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates
Ultimately, avoiding the excellence trap requires a fundamental shift in how organizations view development. Too often, it is treated as a remedy for underperformance rather than an enabler of sustained excellence. The CHRO’s role is to change that narrative.
Development should be positioned as an investment in those who have already demonstrated strong potential—a signal of trust and belief in their long-term impact. The added benefit of this approach is that it can be a powerful retention tool (especially for overconfident rising stars who may feel like they are flush with options). If people don’t see a pathway for growth internally, they’ll go find it somewhere else.
The goal is to frame development as continuous and collective: it is never finished, and it is never done alone. When CHROs take this approach, high performers remain engaged, adaptable, and self-aware. They continue to grow in step with the complexity of the enterprise rather than being outpaced by it.
Joey Berk is a member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Development Practice. He is based in Chicago.
Scott E. Smith is a member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Development Practice. He is based in Dallas.
Christiana Vonofakou is a member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Development Practice. She is based in Munich.
Andrew White is a member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Development Practice. He is based in London.
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