Many senior leaders hit a point where the work loses its edge. The role that once demanded their best thinking now feels routine. The predictable reaction is to declare a crisis of purpose. They assume they must immediately find a new, grand vision to reignite their ambition.
In my recent conversation with Suneet Bhatt on the LevelUp Leadership podcast, we explored why this sudden urge to fix a lack of direction is dangerous. Suneet compares searching for purpose in a state of frustration to grocery shopping on an empty stomach. Without a clear list, you react to the immediate discomfort of hunger. You grab the quickest source of calories rather than the nutrition that will sustain you in the long term.
In a career context, this looks like jumping ship for a slight pay increase or a flashier title, only to find yourself facing the exact same dissatisfaction six months later. Purpose is not something you stumble upon; it is a sense-making process. It requires you to look backward at your experiences, assess what genuinely matters to you, and build a deliberate criteria before you go looking for your next opportunity.
The Sailboat, Not the Pyramid
We often misinterpret human motivation. In the corporate world, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is almost always presented as a pyramid. This implies a monolithic, permanent structure where we climb relentlessly upward. However, Suneet highlighted a concept from cognitive scientist Scott Barry Kaufman: Maslow originally envisioned his hierarchy as a sailboat on the ocean.
In this model, security acts as the hull of the boat, and growth is the sail.
This shift in perspective is vital for navigating commercial reality. When the market is volatile, budgets are constrained, or your organisation is undergoing painful restructuring, the sea is stormy. If you try to unfurl your sail to pursue self-actualisation in a storm, your boat will tip and sink.
Sometimes, the most responsible decision a leader can make is to leave the sail down and focus entirely on keeping the boat afloat. The storm will pass. You must possess the situational awareness to recognise the weather and bide your time. As I outlined in Enhanced Leadership, effective decision-making relies heavily on this type of contextual intelligence. You cannot apply a rigid growth mindset to a survival situation without causing damage.
Reframing the Plateau
This brings us to the concept of feeling ‘stuck’. It is a common complaint in executive circles. A founder feels ‘stuck’ when their growth strategy stalls. A senior director feels ‘stuck’ waiting for a board appointment.
Suneet argues that ‘stuck’ is an inaccurate descriptor. More often, we are simply on a plateau, and plateaus serve distinct operational functions.
You might be on a plateau because you are at the beginning of a complex initiative and have not yet built momentum. You might be there because you have conquered your current mountain and need to find a new objective. Or you might be on a plateau because you need to heal. We accept that physical muscle only grows during periods of rest; we must accept that cognitive and strategic growth requires similar recovery periods.
Objective Leadership
How do we guide our teams when they encounter these stormy seas or unexpected plateaus? It requires a commitment to objective leadership.
During our discussion, Suneet shared a story about his late father, an engineering executive. A graduate joined his father’s team but was immediately unhappy. Rather than deploying retention tactics to protect his own departmental headcount, he simply sat with her and helped her figure out what she actually wanted. He ultimately coached her out of the business and into a role elsewhere where she could succeed.
He did the objectively right thing. He did not do the easy thing, the emotional thing, or the self-serving thing. This is a difficult standard to maintain in target-driven commercial environments, where holding onto a warm body often feels safer than managing a vacancy. Yet, making decisions based on the objective truth of a situation, rather than fear or convenience, is what defines a mature leader. It builds the kind of systemic trust that outlasts any single financial quarter.
Practical Implications for Leaders
If you are currently navigating a lack of alignment or a plateau in your own career, there are three practical steps you can take.
Read the weather Before you make a major career decision, assess your environment. Are you in a period of calm where you can safely unfurl your sail, or are you in a storm where your primary job is stability? Do not confuse a bad market with a bad career choice.
Shrink the role If your current commercial environment does not align perfectly with your values, you do not always have to leave immediately. Shrink the job. Treat it as a strictly nine-to-five commitment. Fulfil your obligations well, but extract your primary sense of identity and satisfaction from outside interests until the time is right to move on.
Practise self-forgiveness Resilience relies heavily on self-forgiveness. When you make a strategic error or handle a conversation poorly, acknowledge the truth of it, forgive yourself, and focus on fixing the problem forward. Carrying guilt slows down your decision-making.
Practical Implications for Coaches
For those of us coaching executives and founders, this framework offers clear diagnostic tools.
Challenge the vocabulary When a client claims they are stuck, ask them to describe the terrain. Help them identify whether they are experiencing a lack of momentum, a lack of direction, or a need for recovery. Changing the label often changes their emotional response to the situation.
Audit their expectations Check if your client is trying to force a perfectly aligned, purpose-driven existence upon a chaotic, transitional phase in their business. Help them understand the sailboat concept. Give them permission to lower their sail and focus on security.
Look for avoidance Pay attention to moments where a client is hesitating on a personnel decision. Often, they know the right thing to do, such as managing someone out of the business, but they are avoiding the short-term friction. Help them separate their emotional discomfort from the objective reality of the situation.
Final Thoughts
Leadership is rarely a linear upward climb. It is a series of adjustments to changing conditions. You must know when to drive forward and when to hold steady. Finding your purpose is essential, but timing your pursuit of it is what keeps you afloat.
Take a moment this week to consider your own boat. Are you trying to sail in a storm, risking burnout and failure? Or are you sitting with your sail down in perfect weather, missing the opportunity to capture the wind? The clarity to know the difference is the foundation of sustainable leadership.
For the full conversation with Suneet Bhatt, listen to the latest episode of the LevelUp Leadership podcast. You can also explore more resources, articles, and insights at levelupleadership.uk
