The Six Horsemen of Executive Performance

There are six common but often overlooked occupational hazards faced by C-suite leaders: echo chambers, systemic blindness, relational risk, depletion, stalled growth, and lack of future readiness. Based on extensive executive coaching experience, the author argues these “stealth performance thieves” corrode leadership effectiveness across sectors and roles. Each horseman is unpacked with real-world patterns and concrete actions for CEOs, executive teams, and organizations. The piece calls for intentional practices like feedback loops, relational audits, and tailored development plans to safeguard long-term performance, resilience, and strategic impact in the top job.