259. Beware the High Achiever

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Jan 6, 2026

High achievement can often hide deeper personal wounds and unresolved issues. Leaders may chase success to mask fears and insecurities, neglecting their inner health. The conversation highlights the importance of prioritizing emotional and spiritual well-being before achieving external success. Patrick shares his journey of separating self-worth from professional metrics. They encourage embracing hobbies imperfectly and redefining identity away from performance, reminding listeners that healthy leaders foster thriving teams.

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INSIGHT

Achievement Can Mask Inner Wounds

High achievement can mask deeper personal wounds and unmet internal needs.
Achievement driven by fear of failure is unsustainable and often unhealthy.

ADVICE

Start With The Leader's Inner Circle

Focus first on a leader's internal health before addressing organizational symptoms.
Encourage leaders to explore motives and attend to spiritual, emotional, and relational health.

INSIGHT

Success Doesn't Equal Personal Health

Neglecting physical, spiritual, or family health while succeeding at work signals misaligned priorities.
Visible business success often hides impending personal or organizational breakdowns.

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If you’re achieving at a high level while ignoring the health of your inner life, how can you reset?

In episode 259 of At The Table, Pat and Cody explore why high achievement can be a warning sign rather than a badge of honor. They explain how leaders often use success to compensate for fear, insecurity, or unresolved personal issues. The conversation underscores that true leadership effectiveness begins with inner health long before it shows up in organizational results.

Topics explored in this episode:

(00:30) The Real Cost of High Achievement

* High achievement often masks deeper personal wounds and unmet internal needs.

* Why leaders must address their spiritual, emotional, and relational health before chasing success.

(03:15) The Inner Circle of Influence

* How Stephen Covey’s “circle of influence” applies to a leader’s need to focus first on their internal well-being.

* How fear can become the engine driving unsustainable achievement.

(05:35) Organizational Health Begins With Leader Health

* Warning signs: neglecting physical health, spiritual life, or family relationships despite outward business success.

(09:27) Pat’s Personal Journey With Identity and Achievement

* Pat opens up about decades spent tying his sense of worth to professional success and learning to shift toward internal wholeness.

(14:25) Beware the High Achiever in Yourself and Others

* Encouraging leaders to pursue hobbies imperfectly, embrace being “not the best,” and refuse to let performance define identity.

This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable.

At The Table is a podcast that lives at the connection between work life, leadership, organizational health, and culture. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4hJKKSL), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/6NWAZzkzl4ljxX7S2xkHvu), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/At-The-Table-YouTube).

Follow Pat Lencioni on https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth, http://www.youtube.com/@PatrickLencioniOfficial, and https://x.com/patricklencioni.

Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4iNz6Yn), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3raC053GF5mtkq6Y1klpRU), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/Working-Genius-YouTube).

Let us know your feedback via podcast@tablegroup.com.

This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.