When “Great” Becomes the Enemy of “Extraordinary”

I just re-read The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks, and I’m cornering anyone who’ll listen. I’ve come back to it and loved it as much as the first time. This book explains something I see with my clients all the time: brilliant leaders who are weirdly allergic to their own success.

Sound dramatic? Stick with me.

The Upper Limit Problem (Or: Why We Self-Sabotage When Things Are Going Well)

Hendricks nails this: Most leaders don’t fail because they lack talent. They fail because they unconsciously limit how much success, ease, or joy they’ll allow themselves to experience.

I call it the “everything’s-going-great-so-I-better-pick-a-fight” syndrome.

Have you ever done this? When things start going really well, suddenly you’re:

• Creating unnecessary conflict with your team
• Getting mysteriously “busy” with low-value tasks
• Finding urgent problems that aren’t actually urgent
• Picking apart the one thing that isn’t perfect

It’s not because you’re broken, it’s because you’re human. And because success triggers hidden fears you didn’t even know we had. Like “If I’m more successful, I’ll be more alone” or “I can’t outshine others without causing harm.” So you unconsciously hit the brakes. This is your “Upper Limit.”

The Four Zones

Hendricks gives us a brilliantly simple framework to diagnose where we’re operating:

Zone of Incompetence: Things you’re terrible at. (For me: anything involving Excel formulas or accounting software.)

Zone of Competence: You’re capable, but so are lots of other people. This is where you’re just… fine.

Zone of Excellence: You’re really good here. You get praised, promoted, and paid well. It’s comfortable, predictable, and… soul-crushing if you stay too long. 

Zone of Genius: This is where your natural abilities, creativity, curiosity, and impact come together in a beautiful constellation of flow*. Work here feels energizing, expansive, meaningful. Time does weird things; you look up and three hours have passed. *If you aren’t familiar with the concept of flow, this article does a good job of explaining and it is well worth diving into.

The Big Leap, as coined by Hendricks, is when we move from Excellence to Genius… which sounds great until you realize it means letting go of what’s “working.” Scary!

Why This Hits Leaders Particularly Hard

In my coaching practice, I see high performers camp out in the Zone of Excellence for years. Their organizations love it! You’re reliable, consistent, excellent at ‘the thing.’ They reward excellence, not genius.

Moving into your Zone of Genius requires:

• Delegating the “excellent” work (even though you’re better at it)
• Redefining your identity (you’re no longer “the person who fixes everything”)
• Tolerating ambiguity (genius work is messier and often uncomfortable)
• Being more visible (which triggers those Upper Limit beliefs)

No wonder people stay stuck. This Zone of Genius is intimidating. 

My Challenge For You

Ask yourself these three questions:

1. What am I doing that I’m excellent at… but don’t actually enjoy? (Remember, excellence isn’t the goal. And no one is listening, so be honest.) 
2. When things go really well, what do I do to unconsciously sabotage it? (Check your calendar after a big win. Did you suddenly get “busy” with nonsense?) 
3. What would I do more of if I weren’t afraid of outshining someone or being “too much”? (This is your genius trying to get your attention.) 

Alright, Genius, Where Are You?

Your Zone of Genius isn’t some mystical unicorn space. It’s real and you’ve probably already experienced it in glimpses. Your Big Leap is choosing it consistently, even when your Upper Limit Problem pushes back.

Stop pretending that “really good” is good enough. Your people, your organization, and you deserve your genius.