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There are quite a few companies out there that just seem to have everything figured out. Just look to Quicken, Amazon, Coca-Cola and Toyota, or even some smaller companies you’re personally aware of that are so successful that they can’t keep up with customer orders or are maybe even forced to turn business away.When companies achieve such high levels of success, some are able to maintain it by constantly reinventing themselves by always staying relevant and providing ongoing value to customers. But then there are others that are either afraid to change and adapt to maintain their success, or even worse, become either complacent or arrogant while riding the wake of their success. These are the companies that get repositioned into second place by a formidable competitor, and then third place by another, and so on and so on... I’ll give you some examples of some high-profile brands that were once leaders in their categories have either lost their lead or have perished. Countrywide At one time, Countrywide was the US's largest subprime mortgage company. And although many believe it was the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008 that led to its demise, the fact that it was found guilty of defrauding federal mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac at the height of the housing crisis cannot be ignored and hence, sealed its fate. Unfortunately, other financial companies also failed due to deception and unethical business practices. But in the end, everyone remembers Countrywide.Next up: Harley Davidson.It was about eighteen years ago when I was at an after-hour business event where Harley Davidson’s CMO shared the company’s strategy for making the Harley brand more appealing to younger riders.The company had legitimate reasons to be concerned. At the time, the average age of a Harley rider was approximately 43, and many other motorcycle manufacturers entering the market were taking giant bites into Harley’s younger-demographic market share by offering higher-performing, better-built, higher-tech, and more reliable motorcycles at much lower price points. And to attract those who liked the looks and lines of a Harley Davidson, some manufacturers built bikes strikingly similar in looks and design, competing on price, technology, build quality, service and warranty. It was no secret these were direct and unapologizing hits to the Harley brand.And despite numerous, aggressive branding and marketing strategies to counter these competitive attacks over the years, the average age of a Harley rider continues to rise. And although Harley is making electric bikes to try to appeal to the younger generations, The Harley Davidson brand may need to do more to retool its brand.What about Sears?There are many theories about why Sears went from one of the top, most beloved retailers of all time to a company that is dying a slow death. From a brand perspective, while it tried to be all things to all people by offering tools, lingerie, a driving school, a photo studio, an optical department and many other things, it simply couldn’t compete against more specialty retailers and of course, amazon.com.And remember Blackberry? I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one other than in a print advertisement more than a couple years ago. The final straw occurred when customers painfully suffered through a three-day interruption in service. Competitors gladly came to the rescue by offering disgruntled Blackberry owners deep discounts on trade-in programs.What about Garmin? Do you have one mounted on your windshield? Why would you when newer cars come with built-in GPS units and smartphones that have as-good-as, or even better navigation technology that is free? These failing brands have taught us what I refer to as the ways five ways leading brands lose their lead. Aside from poor financial management which o