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The Leadership Trap
Why Smart Leaders Fail and How to Break Free
“6 Traps, 3 Systems & One 90 Day Escape Plan”
Cambridge Leadership Expert Aravind Sakthivel Releases Groundbreaking Book
The Leadership Trap: Why Smart Leaders Fail and How to Break Free
New Book Reveals Hidden Patterns That Cause Experienced Leaders to Self-Destruct and Provides Proven Frameworks for Breaking Free
Research shows that nearly two-thirds of Fortune 500 CEO failures stem from predictable internal behaviors. This book exposes those traps.
Cambridge, United Kingdom – January 2026
The book is the result of a multi-year study of globally documented leadership failures, drawing exclusively on public information, including congressional investigations, regulatory reports, court filings, academic research, and long-term media analysis. Rather than relying on personal experience or internal corporate access, the book synthesizes patterns found across some of the most widely reported organizational crises of the past three decades.
A research-driven framework based on global cases
The Leadership Trap identifies six systemic traps that repeatedly appear in large-scale leadership failures across industries and geographies. These traps are derived solely from publicly documented cases and cross-industry research. All company and individual names are changed to ensure the focus remains on leadership patterns and system failures rather than on specific organizations.
Illustrative cases include the Stratford Aerospace Horizon 900 crisis, the Atlantic Foods capability collapse, the FlexSpace IPO breakdown, and the innovation failures at Apex Industrial. These cases are used because they are extensively documented in the public domain, allowing readers to examine recurring failure patterns without relying on confidential or proprietary information.
“These patterns are not speculative,” says Aravind Sakthivel. “They are visible in the public record. What has been missing is a coherent framework that explains how these failures form, why they remain invisible to leaders, and how they can be prevented before damage becomes irreversible.”
The Six Leadership Traps
The Leadership Trap identifies six systemic traps that repeatedly appear in large-scale leadership failures across industries and geographies. These traps are derived solely from publicly documented cases and cross-industry research.
Echo Chambers
Where truth fails to reach decision makers
Cost-cutting illusions
Where short-term savings erode long-term capability
Leadership Absence
Leaving organisations directionless during crisis
Innovation Theatre
Where activity replaces outcomes
Fortress Cultures
Where loyalty is rewarded over performance
Metric Mirages
Where dashboards hide underlying deterioration
The Three Systems That Prevent Failure
Alongside the traps, the book introduces three practical systems that form an operational architecture leaders can use to prevent traps from forming or to reverse them once they appear.
Challenge System
Introduces mechanisms to question assumptions and current practices
Capability System
Ensures that necessary skills and resources are continuously developed and maintained
Cadence System
Establishes rhythms for strategic review and operational adjustment
Each system includes diagnostic tools, weekly and monthly health checks, and documented escape routes grounded in public examples from resilient organizations, including Titan Industries, Southwest Airlines, and Microsoft.
What Readers Gain
An evidence-based diagnostic framework
Practical tools that can be applied immediately
Public case studies showing how traps form and how they are reversed
A 90-day implementation roadmap
A research-backed model suitable for use across sectors
About the author
Aravind Sakthivel is an author and technologist specializing in the intersection of AI, leadership behavior, and organizational psychology. With more than 23 years of global technology leadership experience, he has served as CIO in complex multinational environments.
Based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, Aravind’s research focuses on why intelligent, high-performing leaders fall into predictable organizational traps and how those failures can be prevented through system design rather than individual heroics. His framework, The Leadership Traps, provides a practical lens for diagnosing leadership decline and restoring organizational health.
He holds an MBA from Nyenrode Business Universiteit and has completed executive education at Harvard Business School.
What Readers Will Learn
The Leadership Trap is structured as both a diagnostic tool and a survival manual. It provides actionable frameworks grounded in research.
01
Identify Active Traps
Recognize patterns before they cause damage
02
Diagnose Organizational Health
Use proven assessment tools to measure risk
03
Apply Proven Frameworks
Implement field-tested strategies for escape
04
Prevent Future Failures
Build systems that resist trap patterns
Practical Diagnostic Tools
Assess Your Organization's Health
The book includes powerful self-assessment instruments. These tools help leaders identify active traps before damage occurs.
Leadership Trap Diagnostic
Comprehensive organizational health assessment
End-of-Chapter Monday Morning Actions to Implement
Quick application of specific trap patterns
Scoring System with Action Thresholds
Clear guidance from "Healthy" to "Crisis Zone"
0-3 Weeks
Strong organizational foundation
4-7 Weeks
Intervention recommended
8-12 Weeks
Urgent action required
Who Should Read This Book?
The Leadership Trap is essential reading for leaders at every level. It provides frameworks to avoid predictable executive failure patterns.
C-Suite Executives
Board directors navigating organizational complexity and high-stakes decisions
Senior Managers
Leaders experiencing team performance issues or cultural erosion
HR Professionals
Executive coaches working with struggling leaders and derailed careers
Business Owners
Founders building sustainable, high-trust cultures from the ground up
Aspiring Leaders
Anyone seeking to avoid predictable patterns that derail executive careers
Launch Date: February 3rd, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a leadership trap?
Leadership traps are invisible behavioral and cognitive patterns that even experienced, intelligent leaders fall into without realizing it.
The book identifies specific traps organized into three "death spirals." These are self-reinforcing patterns that gradually erode judgment, trust, and effectiveness.
Damage occurs before leaders recognize the problem.
Why do smart leaders fall into these traps?
Leadership traps exploit universal human tendencies around ego, pressure, and decision-making.
Success makes leaders more vulnerable. Confidence becomes overconfidence. Proven strategies stop working when environments change.
Each trap feels rational in the moment but builds quietly into systemic failure.
Where can I buy it?
Pre-order is available now on Amazon. The book launches February 3rd, 2026.
For review copies, interviews, or speaking engagements, connect with Aravind Sakthivel on LinkedIn.
Connect with the Author
For review copies, interviews, or speaking engagements, connect with Aravind Sakthivel on LinkedIn.
Pre-order is available now on Amazon. Launch date: February 3rd, 2026.
Media Inquiries
Available for interviews, podcasts, and speaking engagements on leadership and organizational behavior
Review Copies
Advanced review copies available for media, thought leaders, and executive coaches
Speaking Engagements
Keynotes on leadership traps, executive derailment, and organizational transformation
Get in Touch
Questions or media inquiries? Reach out anytime. We'd love to hear from you.
Contact Information
WhatsApp: +44 7557 315287

Pre-Order Now
The Leadership Trap launches February 3rd, 2026. Secure your copy today on Amazon.
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