Episode
The Performance Gap That No CEO Talks About With Max Learmonth
- Published
- Apr 28, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2812
- Processing state
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- https://share.transistor.fm/s/1a42518e
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Summary
Most CEOs think pressure is the problem. It is not. The problem is the lack of infrastructure to handle it. In this episode, I sit down with Max Learmonth, founder and CEO of Forge Talent which is currently the fastest growing finance and accountancy recruiter in the UK, as well as a current client of mine. Max is a former elite athlete, a CEO on a mission to change an industry and on a charge to take him and his team to another level. The reality of pushing your limits means that you're always going to be living on the knife edge of pushing yourself to expand your capacity. But when we first connected, that was not the full picture. Max was up at 3:45 in the morning. Running ten kilometres before the sun came up. Burning off the previous night's client dinners. Getting home and being physically present but mentally absent. Running on adrenaline, black coffee, and the same mindset that had served him on the rugby pitch but was quietly slowing down his capacity to lead. He did not have a business problem. He had a self management problem. And he had no idea that he was constantly living on the edge of burnout. This conversation is one of the most honest I have recorded. We go into what it actually looks like when a high performer is running on empty, why the same traits that build elite businesses can quietly erode the person running them, and what changes when you start treating yourself like the most important asset in the company. We cover: - Why being fully committed and being well managed are not the same thing, and why confusing them is costing you more than you realise. - How reactive leadership is a product of a depleted system, not a character flaw, and what Max did to shift from reacting to responding. - The role of data, routine, and recovery in giving a full…