Why Success Is More Dangerous Than Failure:

I have come to appreciate that organizations do not invest enough to prepare their leaders for success.

We train them for failure. We build resilience frameworks and crisis playbooks and psychological safety models. The entire leadership development industry is, at its core, organized around the assumption that the hardest thing a leader will face is adversity.

It is not!

This blog post explores David's leadership journey, highlighting key moments that shaped his character and leadership style.

A challenging path symbolizing the journey of overcoming adversity.

Why Success Can Be More Dangerous Than Failure

In thirty-five years of working with leaders at the highest levels of corporate America — including three years as a Senior Vice President at Merck managing national sales organizations — I have watched with great surprise how many careers are derailed by sudden success versus spectacular failure.

Here is what success does that failure never does. Failure arrives with obvious wounds. It announces itself. Success is quieter. It arrives wearing the face of reward and begins its work without announcing itself. It shifts the question imperceptibly from what does my mission require to what does my reputation need.

David's Early Challenges

David faced this. After defeating Goliath he was celebrated with songs — Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands. The fame arrived instantly and in a form he had never experienced. What he did with it — how he stayed grounded while navigating a culture that was now watching his every move — is one of the most instructive leadership stories in human history.

These early experiences taught David the importance of resilience and adaptability, qualities that would define his leadership style.

The Turning Point:

The principle is simple. The practice is not. Success requires a different kind of vigilance than failure because the threat is harder to see and easier to rationalize.

The question every leader in a season of success needs to ask is not Am I performing well. It is What am I running on. If the answer is the mission, you are safe. If the answer is the applause, you are already in danger.

Building a Plan to Manage the Applause

In chapter 8 of my book, Fight Like David, you will see how success if linked to the wrong motivation can impact your decision making. Your motives become cloudy and sometimes others may question if you are doing what’s right for the organization or what is good for you. I share four stages of recognition and how to manage them. I also provide a real-world example that you will quickly recognize from an iconic business leader.

By sharing David's story, we hope to inspire others to face their challenges head-on and emerge victorious. What challenges are you currently facing, and how can you apply these lessons to overcome them?

Provide me your email and I will send you an assessment tool to help manage the applause. I encourage you to get on the waiting list to be informed when Fight Like David is published.