The Hidden Danger of Sustained Success | Tony Carter

Brief Summary

Air New Zealand’s former chair says leaders should question good results, compare performance, and keep improving instead of crediting every win to their own decisions.

Key points

• When success gets a tailwind. The airline benefited from rising demand and favorable fuel prices, making it harder to tell great judgment from good conditions. The lesson: don’t mistake a rising tide for proof that everything is fine.
• The danger of complacency. In good years, leaders should challenge themselves and compare performance with peers to see whether they are truly outperforming. There is always room to do better.
• A daily scorecard. The speaker says retail taught them to track wins and losses every day through sales reports, building a competitive streak and a habit of measuring performance.