FM Transformational Coaching Releases New Essay Introducing "Success Inflation" Framework for High-Performing Leaders

New analysis examines why achievement has lost its "purchasing power" in the post-crisis economy.

DALLAS, TEXAS, Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FM Transformational Coaching™, an executive coaching firm founded by author and executive coach Federico Malatesta, today released a new long-form essay titled Success Inflation: When Winning Stops Meaning. The essay introduces a framework explaining why many high-performing leaders report growing disorientation despite sustained results, and why the standard responses make things worse.

Federico Malatesta

"We are not seeing a collapse of ambition," Malatesta explains. "We are seeing a period of Success Inflation. Leaders are delivering strong results, but each additional win carries less meaning than it once did."

The essay traces this condition to the end of the post-Great Recession era, when leadership effort was consistently justified by disruption or recovery. Now, as those conditions recede, performance alone no longer validates the struggle or stabilizes direction.

The essay arrives as burnout saturates workforce conversations and as executives quietly admit they're not immune. Malatesta argues that for senior leaders, the standard diagnosis misses the mark. HR's response—more metrics and more performance tracking—often intensifies the underlying misalignment.

"Meaning is not cumulative the way performance is," Malatesta notes. "You cannot stack wins indefinitely and expect them to keep justifying the same sacrifices."

The full essay is available at https://federicomalatesta.substack.com/p/success-inflation-when-winning-stops

About FM Transformational Coaching™

FM Transformational Coaching™ was founded by Federico Malatesta, an author and executive coach who works with senior leaders navigating high-stakes transitions when the old narrative no longer fits. Malatesta previously served as Chief Investment Officer for a $40B energy portfolio and writes the newsletter "Almost Everything Is Context."

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Federico Malatesta
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