66. Why High Performers Leave Long Before They Quit
High performers don’t decide to leave in the moment they give notice. Their decision begins months earlier, when staying stops making sense. Not because something breaks, but because the work no longer stretches them, their contribution no longer changes outcomes, and the future they once imagined quietly disappears.
This episode explains the internal process high performers go through as they realize their effort no longer leads anywhere meaningful. They don’t disengage loudly or complain. They adjust. They narrow their effort. And by the time a resignation conversation happens, the decision feels settled and inevitable.
Key Message:
Leaving doesn’t start with the conversation. It starts when staying stops making sense.
Contrast:
Typical view: “They decided to leave suddenly.”
Actual experience: “They arrived at leaving long before they spoke.”
SHOW NOTES
High performers don’t leave in a moment.
They leave when staying stops making sense.
In this episode of Leadership in 5, James Mayhew stays entirely inside the high performer’s experience — not to justify leaving, but to make visible the quiet internal process that leads to it. Long before notice is given, effort narrows, aspiration fades, and the future stops forming.
This is Chapter 1, Episode 3 of the High Performers lens: What Leaders Think They’re Seeing.
In this episode, James explores:
- Why high performers don’t “decide” to leave all at once
- How boredom, ceilings, and repetition quietly change the math
- Why leaving feels inevitable by the time it’s spoken aloud
- What it means when effort no longer leads somewhere
REFLECTION QUESTION
Where might staying have stopped making sense — long before anything was said out loud?
More Info
If this stirred something — not in a dramatic way, but in that quiet “I need to look at this more closely” way — you’re not alone.
In 2026, I’ll be spending most of my time with founders and leadership teams who are wrestling with this exact tension.
Not with hype. Not with pressure. Just honest conversations, clarity, and help seeing what’s actually shaping performance inside their walls.
If you want to talk, reach out. Even if you’re not sure what you need yet.
We’ll start there.
— James
P.S. If this kind of insight hits home, you’ll like my weekly newsletter — it’s where I go deeper on execution, leadership, and growth that actually scales.
You can subscribe here → https://www.jamesmayhew.com/newsletter-opt-in
