Leadership Lessons
The Plateau Effect
This month’s Leadership Lesson is authored by Lucas Peck.
Over the past 4-5 months, I wasn’t seeing the growth I had expected in my current weightlifting routine. I had settled into a comfortable routine—hitting the same weights and reps—and it was starting to feel monotonous. Going to the gym became more of a chore than something exciting. I had definitely hit a plateau.
Plateau Effect
What is this? Simply put, the Plateau Effect refers to the concept of diminishing returns. You reach a point where it feels like your output has maxed out relative to your input—you’re not getting any better at a particular skill despite continued effort. I chose this topic because I believe plateaus are a universal challenge that everyone faces at some point. While some of you may not directly relate to my plateau, you may be currently experiencing a plateau in some other area of life. I’ll try to share some of the lessons I have learned to help you overcome this plateau.
How Do I Know If I’m in a Plateau?
- Stagnant Results: Early on, growth can be exponential. But over time, your progress slows or stops, and it becomes harder to see improvement despite putting in the same effort. Whether it’s performance, productivity, or personal growth, you find that results are no longer advancing.
- Frustration or Burnout: You feel like you’re just going through the motions. The enthusiasm you once had starts to fade, and this emotional drag often indicates a plateau.
- Lack of New Challenges: You stick to familiar routines, but these tasks no longer push you outside your comfort zone. You start taking the easy way out—what’s known as the “greedy algorithm”—instead of challenging yourself with harder tasks.
Why Am I in a Plateau?
- You’re Too Comfortable: One reason for a plateau is that you’ve settled into a routine that no longer challenges you. As Bob and Hugh explain in their google talk, they use the example of a garlic-themed restaurant called the Stinking Rose in the Bay Area. At first, the restaurant reeks of garlic, but after a while, you can’t smell it anymore. You’ve grown so accustomed to the smell that it doesn’t bother you. The same thing happens with routines—your mind and body adapt, and what was once challenging no longer feels uncomfortable.
- You’re Being Challenged Too Much or Too Little: Realistic goals are essential not only for growth but also for your mental state. Achieving attainable goals keeps you motivated, but setting the bar too high can lead to burnout. On the flip side, setting the bar too low can make you complacent, and you’ll fall into a comfortable but unproductive state.
How Do I Break Out of the Plateau?
- Be Uncomfortable: I can’t emphasize this enough. While stress often gets a bad reputation, it has positive aspects too. Doing something unfamiliar that requires adaptation will stimulate growth in some way. Trying something new or different can reignite your interest and prevent boredom.
- Gather Feedback: Sometimes you need outside feedback to see that you could be doing something more efficiently or completely different. Whether it’s at work or in the gym, I’ve had moments where feedback revealed a better way of doing things that I hadn’t noticed before. Is there someone you know that has mastered whatever subject you’re trying to improve? Asking those that may have had similar experiences is a fantastic way to learn.
- Eliminate Choke Points: Often, a plateau is caused by a specific weakness that slows everything else down. Identifying these “choke points” and addressing them directly can help you overcome the ceiling on your progress. Is there a glaring weakness in another area that’s indirectly contributing to your plateau?
How Am I Currently Applying This?
- I identified that I had hit a plateau.
- Lack of motivation and results.
- I decided to make changes, even though I wasn’t entirely sure what the specific problem was.
- I switched up my workout frequency, volume, and exercises.
- I moved from a heavy-weight, low-volume routine to a lower-weight, higher-volume program, sometimes doing 25-30 reps with lighter weights instead of my previous 9-12 reps with heavier ones.
- I asked myself if there were any choke points.
- I realized that my diet, designed around a lower-volume program, wasn’t providing enough fuel for the higher-volume workouts I was now doing.
The Results
Acknowledging that I hit a plateau was already progress in itself. While it may be too early to see significant improvements in my lifts, I’ve noticed that going to the gym is no longer a daunting task. Changing things up has eliminated the boredom I was experiencing. I may switch back to my old program in 2-3 months to test my progress, but for now, I’m enjoying the challenge of something new.
Is Hitting a Plateau Always a Bad Thing?
At first glance, hitting a plateau feels like a setback—it’s frustrating when your effort doesn’t lead to further improvement. But in reality, plateaus serve a valuable purpose. They’re signals that it’s time to reassess and make adjustments. Continuing on the same path without realizing you’re not making progress can be even more detrimental in the long run. A plateau can act as a way of self-reflection. Is this still effective? How can I improve? What needs to change?
In that sense, hitting a plateau isn’t a failure—it’s an opportunity. It’s a necessary phase that helps you reassess where to focus your efforts and what needs to change.
Below are some of the resources I’ve used to address my plateau. I encourage you to explore these and find what works best for you—whether it’s shaking up your routine, learning something new, or stepping out of your comfort zone.
- An article by Connie Chang in the New York Times: When Your Workout Stops Working
- A Google Talk by Bob Sullivan and Hugh Thompson on how plateaus relate to the tech industry: The Plateau Effect
- A case study archived on the National Library of Medicine’s website: PMC8834821
