Derailment happens when a previously successful executive fails to do their job effectively, leading to demotion or replacement if their performance does not improve. Executive derailment is much more common than you might think and can be caused by either personal failures or changes within the organization. The process of replacing key employees who’ve “derailed” in this way is costly and time-consuming, which is why prevention is so critical. In some cases, executives may not be aware they are failing until it’s too late. How do you know if a key employee is headed for a crash? There are many key indicators and patterns to look out for which could point towards a career headed for derailment.
Learning to identify derailment before it happens can help prevent this type of failure by giving the executive an opportunity to course-correct. We’ll look at the similarities between successful and derailed careers, as well as key factors of derailment that are easy to spot regardless of industry or company size.
Success vs. Derailment
Drawing from my own professional experience as an executive coach, as well as interviews with recruiters and executive leadership groups, one startling fact became clear — the striking similarities between the careers of successful individuals versus careers that derail…
