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Behind Success: Lessons from Influential, High-Performing Leaders
- Business Development, Communication, Confident Conversion, Leadership, NLP, Transformational Leadership
- Lifepuzzle
Summary:
- Leadership success is driven by self-mastery, decisiveness, and the ability to inspire others
- Sustainable success relies on structured routines and a strong emotional drive
- Ensure that habits are reinforced with purpose and passion.
- Communication is a Leadership Tool, evidence by effective leaders who inspire trust and alignment with grand vision
- High performers ensure success utilising preparation, mentorship, and self-confidence to make bold decisions.
- Success comes from taking full ownership of actions and embrace evolution of character to drive meaningful change.
The Tallest Tower of the Castle
Success leaves clues, and few leaders have provided as many as Bob Iger, the visionary CEO behind Disney’s transformation. In his book, The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Iger chronicles the pivotal moments, challenges, and strategic decisions that reshaped Disney into the global entertainment powerhouse it is today. Through insightful reflections, he reveals how he steered the company out of a period of uncertainty and reinvigorated its creative and business vision, cementing Disney’s legacy as storytellers of our collective and enduring childhood.
Through strategic acquisitions, innovation, and masterful communication. His leadership offers timeless lessons on self-mastery, influence, and the power of decisive action. Iger has also been described as congruently connected to the vision and values established by the company’s founder, Walt Disney and has often credited the Vision of Walt Disney as being the driving force behind the growth and success of the business in recent years.
What sets leaders like Iger apart from the rest? Beyond strategy and execution, high-performing CEOs share an internal blueprint for success. A set of routines, mindsets, and skills that propel them forward. Exploring the deeper lessons that professionals and leaders can adopt to elevate themselves and their teams is a masterclass in finding your own road map to success.
The Leadership Formula: Mastering Influence & Confidence
Leadership isn’t about controlling outcomes—it’s about shaping them.
High achievers understand that influence starts with self-mastery. Confidence, clarity, and adaptability don’t happen by chance—they’re built through consistent habits. Bob Iger’s ability to make bold, strategic decisions, from acquiring Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm to reshaping Disney’s creative vision, wasn’t just about gut instinct. It was the result of disciplined routines that reinforced his leadership mindset and decision-making ability.
Success, whether in leading a global corporation or a small team, isn’t just about intelligence or talent. It’s about stacking the right habits—ones that foster decisiveness, resilience, and vision—until they become second nature. The more you refine your personal rhythm, the more effortlessly you inspire others to act with confidence and purpose.
Habit Stacking & Emotional Drive: The Foundation of Sustainable Success
One of the lesser-known strategies of high performers is habit stacking, a technique that builds new success behaviours by linking them to existing routines. This concept, popularised by James Clear in Atomic Habits, is a cornerstone of many great leaders’ routines. However, habits alone aren’t enough—emotional drive and the connection to values and vision plays a crucial role in sustaining long-term success.
For Iger, the discipline of structure and routine played a crucial role in his leadership style. He famously starts his day before sunrise, dedicating time to exercise, reflection, and preparation. This intentional approach to time management is something every leader can learn from, simply by starting the day with clarity fosters better decision-making and problem-solving.
Consider your own daily habits:
- What behaviours are reinforcing your leadership growth?
- Where can you integrate small, high-impact changes?
- How can you stack new success habits onto your existing routine?
Leadership Confidence: A Clear & Compelling Vision
Success is not just about strategic acquisitions. If you are a start-up looking to build influence there may not yet be occasion for you to add to what you are already building, in fact in this pioneering stage of building a business it is about establishing and communicating a vision that others can believe in and be inspired by.
In the corporate world, communication is the single most underestimated leadership skill and one that research shows is slowly disappearing from tomorrow’s leaders. It is not just about delivering a message; it’s about ensuring that message moves people into action. Leaders who refine their communication skills can inspire or deepen trust, drive alignment, and create momentum in their organisations
To elevate your communication:
- Focus on clarity over complexity – the best leaders simplify, not complicate.
- Lead with emotional intelligence – understanding how to connect with people is just as crucial as delivering facts.
- Listen actively – influence is built by those who listen, not just those who speak.
Exceptional leadership is defined by the ability to simplifying communicate at a high level, whilst zooming down into the details where needed. It requires a deep understanding of human dynamics, in order to facilitate deep trust and connection. The most effective leaders however, know when to speak and when to listen, recognising that the most powerful insights often come from understanding before responding, asking for clarification when something is not entirely clear.
Overcoming Self-Doubt: Illuminating your Shadows to Highlight Growth Areas
Even the best leaders have faced self-doubt. Many professionals struggle with being steadfastly confident. It is not difficult to fall victim to itty bitty sh**ty committee. In Australia, the phenomenon of “Tall Poppy Syndrome” constantly undermines the success and wins many leaders leaving them questioning whether they truly belong at the top. The difference? High performers reframe doubt as fuel for growth.
Bob Iger stepped into leadership during uncertain times, often making high-stakes decisions that shaped Disney’s future. He didn’t let fear of failure hold him back—instead, he relied on preparation, self-confidence, and trusted advisors to make bold calculated moves. Building a team that supports you to make decisions that are either difficult or perhaps against the better judgement of the expected is essential to establishing clear paths to success.
Patrick Lencioni’s Working Genius framework identifies that the six key strengths of wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanising, Enablement, and Tenacity are what drive successful teams. By understanding where individuals thrive and where they struggle, teams can improve collaboration, enhance productivity, and align work with natural talents to achieve greater impact.
If you want to lead with confidence:
- Recognise that uncertainty is a constant, but your response to it determines your success. We cannot control the winds of circumstance, but we can adjust our sails to chart as smooth journey.
- Invest in personal development and mentorship.
- Cultivate an executive presence – your posture, tone, and energy can shift how others perceive your leadership.
Ongoing development is more about understanding yourself in order to better understand others. When a leader is focused on guiding others, it is a telling signal that they are a leader who has been to the top of the mountain only to learn that growth doesn’t stop at the top. They have also learned that it becomes essential to continue to grow as your responsibilities become more complex in leadership.
Personal Ownership & Accountability: The Key to Real Change
Success is built on taking full ownership of actions and outcomes. Leaders who fall into the trap of blaming external circumstances weaken their ability and credibility to create change. Instead, top performers operate from a cause-and-effect mindset—they choose to take charge, control their outcomes, and set clear, intentional goals.
Personal ownership begins with a shift in mindset. Replacing “I should” with “I choose” reframes decisions as deliberate actions rather than obligations. This subtle but powerful change fosters accountability, reinforcing the idea that every outcome (positive or formative) is a direct result of personal choice. True leadership is built on this foundation of responsibility, where success is not dictated by external pressures but by intentional, value-driven decisions.
It is also understanding the true value or cost of a mistake.
Equally important is the ability to recognise self-sabotage. Identifying the unconscious patterns that hinder progress allows for proactive change, whether through personal development or professional growth. Surrounding yourself with the right influences is just as crucial.
As my grandmother often said, “Show me your friends, and I will tell you who you are.” The people we engage with shape our perspectives, expectations, and ultimately our values. If leadership is your goal, then seeking out those who embody it in action rather than words.
Leadership Is Dedicating Yourself to Mastery
The habits of high performers like Bob Iger, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, and Mary Barra of General Motors all point to a universal truth: success is not an accident, it is intentional mastery of influence, communication, and self-discipline.
True leaders don’t wait for opportunities—they create them through strategic thinking, relentless self-improvement, and the ability to move people toward a shared vision.
So, the real question is: What daily routines in and out of the boardroom are shaping the leader you are becoming?
Success is built one decision at a time. Choose wisely, lead boldly, and never stop refining the way you show up in the world as it is THAT that will establish your legacy as a leader.
Regular, actionable feedback helps team members understand their strengths and areas for growth. This creates a culture of continuous improvement.
At Life Puzzle, we believe that feedback is not only a gift, it is the Breakfast of Champions.
When teams feel confident in their abilities and aligned with a shared vision, they’re empowered to achieve exceptional results.
FAQs:
Many will look at the choices and outcomes of CEOs like Iger and Musk and make one of two values judgements; Devine timing or a team of skilled professional helped achieve their success. The truth is that good timing and preparation go hand in hand, the same can be said of the team effort is required for success to occur. What many CEOs do well is develop a clear decision-making framework based on strategic vision, data analysis, and trusted advisory networks. There is little reward without risk however when you are patient, prepared and supported you are well placed to for calculated risk-taking.
Top CEOs maintain agility and resilience by balancing short-term adaptability with long-term vision. Life Puzzle offers tailored and multi-tiered Leadership programs that empower organisations to build a high-performance culture, develop future leaders, and enhance employee engagement. Through strategic leadership frameworks, communication mastery, and accountability-driven growth, this program transforms workplaces into environments where top talent thrives, motivation soars, and leadership excellence becomes the standard.
Mastering executive presence, clarity, and active listening is key. My best-selling book, Confident Closing isn’t just about Sales Success, it also covers the communication tools that will help you build your influence and master the essential skill of Sales; after all, every conversation is an opportunity to sell our ideas.
Those that have achieved this level of mastery will tell you that the best time to plant a tree is both 30 years ago AND right now. Through intentional and consistent practice confidence and executive presence can be built over time. These skills are a marathon that requires mentorship and development both personal and professional. There is a reason why the highest achieving CEOs credit their success to their daily routines both in and out of the boardroom. First ask, what is the path of least resistance to where I want to be and identify a guide that will help you get there.
I often say that the standard you walk by, is the standard you accept. A culture of accountability starts at the top. The vision you have for your business, your team and your clients will set the direction. So too, will it set a standard. Taking personal responsibility for this as the founder or CEO is the first step, the next is building a team that will help you turn that vision into a reality. Organisational success is also deeper than vanity metrics, revenue and team culture. It is creating a business that model’s excellence through impact, profit and a team built of the leaders of tomorrow that turn vision and values into reality.
Final thoughts
Leadership isn’t about a position—it’s about consistent, intentional mastery of self and influence. As you grow as a leader your responsibilities do not shrink, they in fact become far more complex. Take ownership of your routine, refine your communication, and commit to becoming the kind of leader others want to follow. Do this through establishing a clear vision for your business and learn how to communicate that vision for those who want to help you execute it.
Are you ready to step into the next level of your leadership journey?
Through expert sales training, NLP coaching, and business development consulting, we’ve helped professionals refine their communications, accelerate their sales and supercharge their personal satisfaction and confidence. Do you want to be one of our success stories?
