When Top Performance Becomes a Hiding Place
Photo by Moose Photos from Pexels.
Hey there - I'm a hands-on startup fractional COO. I serve as an operating partner to founders supporting growth and operations. Over 20+ years, I have worked on dozens of startups (Synervoz, FreshAhead, Axiom, Spartan, IAN), helping build one high-impact business to exceed $100M in revenue and a second to nearly reach that rare milestone (so far!).
Introduction
We all know people who execute quality work blindingly fast. They're reliable. Smart. They anticipate problems and solve them, just like that. They're the people you'd clone if you could.
Savvy startup founders, obviously, want to hire people like this, and many founders fall into this category themselves. I'm not a huge fan of the phrase "A Player" (for reasons I'll perhaps explain in a future blog post), but that's who we are talking about. What's less obvious is that these people may be the most underutilized assets in the company.
It's not because they aren't working hard or delivering value. It's because they're performing so well that no one's asking them to grow — including themselves. Or when someone does challenge them, they brush it off.
When Success Becomes a Ceiling
Here's the dynamic: A Players get stuck. They've figured out how to succeed at their job. Knock it out of the park even. Teammates agree. Because they are delivering, they don't feel any pressure to change.
These high performers plateau — quietly.
We see this in professional sports, too. A top athlete is performing among the best in their pack. They could be better — their mechanics are excellent but could be tweaked, their mindset becomes fragile in certain situations, their recovery is only passable for their level — but they don't see or want to see the areas where they could improve.
In business (and sports), plateauing doesn't just cost the individual. It limits the evolution of the entire team. These top performers are not failing, but they're not stretching either. Over time, this will slow the business down compared to what’s possible.
Read also: Deadlocked? Use "Forced Empathy" to Resolve Conflicts and Strengthen Your Startup Team
One Example: Stress Equals Effectiveness
I often see one specific problem among startup founders. They believe they're underperforming if they're not maxed out — doing it all. They think they're doing it wrong if they're not feeling overwhelming stress. “This is what it's supposed to be like for a founder,” they say to themselves.
It's a seductive idea, but a myth.
They are correct about one thing: being a founder is challenging and taxing. There will be periods when founders need to max themselves out, for sure. They're incorrect that this is the best way to operate all of the time if building a successful startup is the objective.
The psychological model known as the Yerkes-Dodson Curve suggests we perform at our peak when there is an optimal level of arousal. Too little and you're bored. Too much and you lose focus. In the middle, you're challenged and most effective. Research into "flow" states supports this idea, showing that people achieve peak cognitive function not under excessive stress, but in moments of deep, focused engagement.
Excessive stress narrows attention, impairs working memory, and reduces cognitive flexibility — critical skills in complex, fast-changing environments like startups. Chronic stress also makes it harder to shift perspectives, which means founders under pressure may miss opportunities, resist feedback, or stick with decisions longer than they should. (Sources: McEwen & Sapolsky (1995); Arnsten (2009); Crafting Calm in Chaos – Softhouse.)
Many startup founders operate past the point of peak performance, but like other high performers, they're effective enough not to question it. They would be more productive if they dialed the stress level down. They fail to make this leap and are less effective as a result.
What does better look like?
Fewer fire drills.
Fewer dropped balls.
More delegation.
More automation.
More white space.
More reflection.
However, getting to this point requires a mindset shift — especially if you’re holding onto the myth that only frazzled founders succeed.
Read also: Overlooked Traits of Successful Startup CEOs
Help "A Players" Grow Again
There's often a big unlock possible for top performers.
A Players tend to be insulated by their results. They assume they're fine. They get praise, not coaching. They're rewarded for consistency, not trying something new and being imperfect.
Ongoing personal development and leadership development are critical for every organization. If you're a startup founder, ask about your top contributors:
Who is crushing it but hasn't leveled up in the last 6 to 12 months?
What friction points do I see on the team in their wake?
How do they react and do if you give them feedback?
Founders, it’s also worth asking those questions about yourself. Consider where you’ve stopped being curious, and examine those areas. They’ll give you clues about where you can grow as a leader, contributor, and colleague. Some of the things you’re sure you “know” may be precisely the places where you’re stuck.
Conclusion
The risk isn't that top performers fail. It's that they succeed enough to avoid change. The world's best teams don't just reward consistency. They demand growth, especially from the people already doing well.
World-class teams are made up of individuals willing to learn even when no one asks them to. Those are true superstars. Scaling a startup to $100M revenue or more is incredibly difficult. Give yourself every possible advantage.
It's always great to meet other startup operators. Read more about me here, and please reach out for a chat anytime!
I wrote this blog post with the help of a customized GPT from OpenAI.