Everyone says they want to be top of the heap. It’s the dream, right? You work your tail off for a decade, skip the happy hours, answer emails at 2 AM, and finally, you’re the one holding the keys to the kingdom. You’ve got the title, the corner office (or the high-tier remote salary), and everyone looks to you for the answers. It’s basically what we’re told success looks like from the moment we start our first internship.
But honestly? Staying there is a whole different beast than getting there.
The phrase "top of the heap" actually has some pretty grimy origins if you think about it. It’s not a mountain peak. It’s a heap. Usually, that implies a pile of scrap or, well, less pleasant things. When you’re at the summit of a heap, you’re the most visible target. Everyone below you is looking for a way to climb up, and usually, that means nudging you out of the way. It’s a precarious spot that requires a specific kind of mental toughness that most MBA programs don't really teach you.
The psychological weight of being top of the heap
When you reach that peak position in your industry, something weird happens to your brain. Researchers often talk about the "loneliness of command," but it’s more than just being lonely. It’s the isolation of feedback. According to a landmark study by Dr. Tasha Eurich, a high-ranking organizational psychologist, as people move up the ladder, their self-awareness actually tends to drop.
Why? Because nobody tells you the truth anymore.
When you are top of the heap, your subordinates start "managing up." They laugh at your bad jokes. They tell you your mediocre idea is visionary. You start living in an echo chamber of your own making, which is exactly how massive companies like Nokia or Kodak eventually collapsed. They had leaders who were so convinced of their "top" status that they stopped looking at the ground level where the actual shifts were happening.
You have to fight to stay grounded. It’s exhausting.
👉 See also: Sands Casino Long Island: What Actually Happens Next at the Old Coliseum Site
I’ve seen it happen to brilliant founders. They hit that Series C funding, they’re the darlings of TechCrunch, and suddenly they stop listening to their lead engineers. They think they’ve "won." But in business, there is no final whistle. Being at the top just means the wind is hitting you harder than anyone else.
The Peter Principle and the danger of the "Final Promotion"
We can’t talk about being top of the heap without mentioning the Peter Principle. Formulated by Laurence J. Peter back in the late 60s, it basically suggests that in a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence.
Think about it.
You’re a great coder, so they make you a manager. You’re a great manager, so they make you a VP. You’re a great VP, so they make you the CEO. But the skills required to be a CEO have almost nothing to do with writing clean Python code. So, you end up at the very top of the heap doing a job you’re actually not that good at.
- You’re stressed.
- The team is frustrated.
- The board is looking at the numbers with a raised eyebrow.
- You spend your Sundays dreading Monday for the first time in your life.
It’s a classic trap. Sometimes the best move for your long-term happiness isn't to be the king of the mountain, but to be the most specialized, highly-paid expert on the slope. There’s a lot less wind there.
Real-world examples of the "Heap" shift
Look at someone like Bob Iger at Disney. He was top of the heap, retired, and then had to come back because the person who took his spot couldn't maintain the balance. Or look at the legendary fall of Bear Stearns during the 2008 crash. The people at the top were so insulated by their own success and "heap" status that they didn't realize the foundation was literally rotting.
✨ Don't miss: Is The Housing Market About To Crash? What Most People Get Wrong
Why the "Heap" keeps getting taller (and narrower)
In the modern economy, being top of the heap isn't just about your local office. We’re in a global talent pool now. If you’re a graphic designer, you aren't just competing with the person in the next cubicle; you’re competing with a kid in Buenos Aires who is twice as fast and half the price, and an AI that can iterate in four seconds.
This creates a "winner-take-all" dynamic.
Economist Sherwin Rosen wrote about "The Economics of Superstars" back in the 80s, explaining why a small number of people at the top earn the vast majority of the money. Technology acts as a megaphone. If you’re the best, your work can be distributed to millions for almost zero marginal cost. But if you’re only the 10th best? You might struggle to make a living.
This pressure to be number one creates a culture of burnout that is genuinely unsustainable. We see it in the "Great Resignation" and the "Quiet Quitting" trends. People are realizing that the view from the top of the heap isn't always worth the climb.
How to actually survive at the top
If you do find yourself at the peak, you need a strategy that isn't just "work harder." That’s how you end up with a heart attack at 45.
First, you need a "Truth Teller." This is someone—maybe a mentor, an outside coach, or a spouse—who isn't afraid to tell you when you’re being an idiot. Without this, your ego will eventually lead you off a cliff.
🔗 Read more: Neiman Marcus in Manhattan New York: What Really Happened to the Hudson Yards Giant
Second, you have to stay "obsessively curious." The moment you think you know everything about your industry because you’re top of the heap is the exact moment you start your descent.
Actionable steps for the ambitious
If you're aiming for the top, or trying to stay there, here’s what you actually need to do:
- Audit your "Inner Circle": If everyone you talk to on a daily basis reports to you, you’re in trouble. Seek out peers in different industries who don't care about your title.
- Learn the "Anti-Skill": If you’re a technical genius, learn soft skills like empathy and negotiation. If you’re a "people person," learn how to read a balance sheet. The person at the top needs to be a generalist, not just a super-specialized version of what they used to be.
- Define "Enough": This is the hardest one. Most people at the top are driven by a hunger that can’t be satisfied. If you don't define what "winning" looks like, you’ll just keep running until you collapse.
- Reverse Mentor: Find a 22-year-old in your company and ask them how they use technology. Ask them what they think is "cringe." It’ll hurt your pride, but it’ll keep you relevant.
- Build a "Safety Net" that isn't financial: Build a life outside of your work. If your entire identity is being top of the heap, you will be utterly destroyed when—not if—someone else takes your spot.
Staying at the top requires a weird paradox of confidence and humility. You have to be confident enough to make the big calls, but humble enough to know that the heap is always shifting. It’s not a permanent throne. It’s a temporary lease on a very high-stakes piece of real estate.
If you want to keep the lease, you have to keep earning it every single day.
Stop looking at the view and start looking at the structural integrity of what you're standing on. That’s how you stay top of the heap without falling off. Keep your circle tight, keep your ego in check, and never stop looking for the next person who’s coming for your spot—not out of fear, but out of respect for the game.