5 Signs You May Be Losing Your Edge As A Leader

Are you losing your edge as a leader?

And if you are, how would you even know?

I’ve asked myself these questions more than once, and I think if you stick around in leadership for long, you have to ask them.

I have a theory that everyone needs to renew their leadership every 7-10 years or you grow stagnant (you can read about the theory here).  If you don’t renew yourself, you stagnate. And if you stagnate, you’re really not leading.

Far too many hold the title of leader long after they’ve truly stopped leading. And that’s not good for anyone, including the leader.

So how do you know if you’re starting to stagnate? If you’re losing your edge?

Here are 5 signs I’ve watched for in myself and seen in other leaders.

Far too many hold the title of leader long after they've truly stopped leading. Share on X

1. You have the same conversations over and over again

I get that leadership is complex and that some decisions take time.

But too many times I’ve journeyed with a leader who was talking about hiring more staff in March, and they’re still talking about it in October.

Pick your issue: whether it’s launching a new location, starting a podcast, letting someone go, or taking a break…if you’re talking about it for months on end and doing nothing about it, nobody wins.

Ineffective leaders use talk as a substitute for action. Talking about it is no substitute for doing it.

And if you’re waiting for certainty, you’ll wait forever.

Ineffective leaders use talk as a substitute for action. Talking about it is no substitute for doing it.  Share on X

Want to break the cycle?

Easy. Do something. Even if all you do today is cross something off your list.

You have enough information to clear far more off your list than you think.

Stop talking. Start doing.

You have enough information to clear far more off your list than you think. Stop talking. Start doing. Share on X

2. It takes you a long time to make a decision

I understand that some things should take time before you act.

But just because some things should take time and consideration doesn’t mean everything should take a long time to get done.

One sure sign that you and your organization are on a path toward stagnation or decline is that nothing gets done quickly. The timeline just keeps getting longer, and longer, and longer.

Think back to when you started in leadership and measure the distance between idea and execution. Compare that to your present pace.

I’m always amazed at how quickly things get done when my team and I have energy. If you’re measuring action in months or years, it’s a sign you’re losing your edge.

You can use size or complexity as an excuse, but that’s still an excuse. And just because some decisions take a long time doesn’t mean every decision should take a long time.

I recently had a staff member leave. It was a tough position to fill. We filled the position with an eminently qualified person in three weeks.

We’re currently developing a new online course that will go from idea to launch in 16 weeks. (idea, creation, filming, and launch).

Sure, not every project is that fast or should be that fast, but if you can’t move that fast or won’t move that fast, pay attention.

What other information do you need?

Why are you delaying?

How will things be different if you wait another week or month?

If you can’t come up with really compelling answers to those questions, then act.

Leaders at the top of their game are agile, nimble and can make quick decisions.

Diminished agility is diminished ability.

Diminished agility is diminished ability.  Share on X

3. You’re running out of ideas

It’s a leader’s job to forge into the future, and to do that, you need a steady stream of fresh ideas and perspectives.

New thinking leads to new possibilities and new tomorrows.

Usually, when you’re starting in leadership or a good season in your leadership, you have more ideas than you know what to do with.

One sign you’re losing your edge is that those ideas are running dry.

There are usually three reasons you’re running out of ideas.

Sometimes your lack of ideas happens because you’re so busy working in your business that you don’t have time to work on your business. There’s just no margin. You can’t breathe, and as a result, you’re not really thinking.

A second reason your idea well is running low is that you’ve stopped reading books, listening to podcasts, or attending conferences. Essentially, you’ve become all output with almost no input.

A final reason your ideas are in short supply is that you’ve entered an echo chamber, surrounding yourselves with like-minded leaders who believe what you believe, think the way you think and who never challenge your ideas.

So…if you want to turn this around, create a little more margin (here’s how), listen and learn again, and jump out of your echo chamber to listen to some fresh voices.

Leaders who learn better are leaders who lead better.

Leaders who learn better are leaders who lead better.  Share on X

4. You’re not asking enough questions

There’s a constant temptation in leadership to feel like you need to know all the answers.

That’s never true. In fact, the best leaders are usually not defined by the answers they give but by the questions they ask. The longer you’re in leadership, the more curious you should become.

The best leaders are usually not defined by the answers they give but by the questions they ask. The longer you're in leadership, the more curious you should become.   Share on X

One tell-tale sign of a leader who has lost their edge is they ask almost no questions. Sometimes that’s because you think you know all the answers (cue buzzer here). Other times, it’s because you’ve lost interest. You’re just not curious.

Both are deadly to leadership.

So…next time you’re in a conversation or meeting, speak more sentences that end with a question mark than you do sentences that end with a period.

The best leaders are usually not defined by the answers they give but by the questions they ask. Share on X

5. You’re growing defensive

The best leader is an open leader. And the opposite of open is defensive.

Defensive leaders rarely lead well.

Being defensive means, you close yourself off to new ideas, fend off all attempts to help you get better, and dismiss new ideas and directions.

Do you know how you know that you’re being defensive?

You have a reason why every new idea won’t work. And you have a reason you are the way you are.

A regular stream of defensiveness not only shuts down the people around you (they’ll eventually stop talking to you), it shuts down the future.

A regular stream of defensiveness not only shuts down the people around you (they'll eventually stop talking to you), it shuts down the future. Share on X

How do you combat defensiveness?

Simple: Next time someone shares an idea with you or feedback with you that you’re tempted to deflect or dismiss, don’t. Instead, utter two words: thank you.

Then go away and reflect on it, pray about it and even cry about it if you have to. Go see a therapist. Whatever you need to do to stop shutting down the people around you, do it.

Open leaders usually have a bright future. Defensive leaders don’t.

Open leaders usually have a bright future. Defensive leaders don't.  Share on X