The statistic is staggering: Within 18 to 24 months of promotion as many as 40 percent of new leaders are no longer in the roles they were promoted to. What can leaders do to avoid becoming part of this alarming executive failure rate? In the following Q&A, Scott Eblin, author of The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success, talks about the behaviors that executives need to pick up — and let go of — to reach the next level.

You’re the author of The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success, what do the insiders know?

Scott Eblin: They understand that when moving to a next level role, actions have to change. Different results are expected, so it pretty much follows that some of the things you’ve been doing — even if they’ve worked for you in the past — are going to have to change.

What are some behaviors executives need to let go of?

Scott Eblin: Letting go of self-reliance and picking up team-reliance — that’s a big one. The typical executive leader was successful early in their career because they were the “go to” person for everything, no matter what. But at the executive level, your role is now so broad and deep that the “go to” profile no longer works.

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As president of CGI Federal, George Schindler leads a team that leverages market-leading services and offerings into a managed services model in conjunction with federal government partners. The results speak for themselves; CGI is tracking to double digit growth for this fiscal year. But Schindler has even bigger plans for CGI Federal. In the following Q&A, Schindler talks about where he sees the company in five years, and what it needs to do to reach that point. He also weighs in on navigating the uncertainties associated with the natural cycles of government, especially during an election year.

Tell us about your role at CGI Federal?

George Schindler: I am the President.

How large is the business unit?

George Schindler: About 1,100 members. We refer to our employees as members because we are all considered to be owners of the business.

How is CGI Federal different from CGI overall as a company?

George Schindler: CGI is a Canadian company, based in Montreal. CGI Federal was created as a wholly owned U.S. operating subsidiary of CGI in order to allow the company to more effectively sell to the federal market and pursue work that requires security clearances. At the same time, our goal is to leverage the full depth and breadth of CGI solutions and capabilities globally.

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