Certainty is a false god.
Most leaders I coach crave clarity.
They want the roadmap, the plan, the playbook.
They want to know.
But here’s the hard truth about change: Clarity rarely comes first. Conviction does.
We’re taught to believe that great leadership is about seeing ahead with confidence. Peeking around corners. Spotting trends. But, the best leaders don’t start with clarity, they start with courage.
Certainty is the luxury of the past.
Conviction is the requirement of the now.
Waiting to be sure is a trap.
I’ve watched leaders stall for months, even years, waiting for more information.
More alignment.
More confirmation.
More “signs.”
They don’t call it fear. They call it strategy.
But, under the surface, it’s hesitation masked as thoughtfulness.
The truth? They’re hoping to eliminate risk before they move.
But, risk is part of the job.
If it were obvious, it wouldn’t require you.
And let’s be honest: you’ve already made major decisions with way less data.
When you launched.
When you hired.
When you pivoted.
You didn’t wait until it made sense. You moved because it felt right.
That wasn’t recklessness. That was intuition aligned with conviction. And, it’s time to come back to it my friend.
Leading through change is about going first.
That’s the weight of leadership.
You move before others are ready.
You choose before others are certain.
You trust what you sense, not just what you can prove.
And, no amigo, this doesn’t mean being reckless or reactive.
It means owning the risk of moving forward without needing a guarantee.
If you’re in a season of transition, and you’re waiting for things to feel stable before you act, let me be clear: Stability is a result of movement, not the prerequisite for it.
Conviction is what stabilizes your people. Not your perfect plan. Not your brilliant strategy. Not the latest leadership fad.
You can be uncertain about the path and still be grounded in purpose. That’s what creates confidence in others.
They don’t need you to be perfect. They need to believe you’re not going to flinch when it gets tough and weird.
And, it undoubtedly will. That’s how life works.
So where are you waiting for permission?
Where are you telling yourself:
“I just need a little more information…”
“Let’s get a few more data points…”
“We should probably survey the team again…”
Sometimes that’s wisdom.
Sometimes it’s fear dressed up in leader-speak.
The longer you wait, the louder the questions get.
The team starts to second-guess.
The haters start to smell uncertainty.
The tension builds.
And, then you get stuck managing energy instead of leading forward.
Don’t wait to be certain.
Be clear on what matters most, and act from there.
Try this:
At some point this week, block 20 minutes and ask yourself:
Where am I hesitating, and why?
What decision have I already made but haven’t admitted yet?
What would I do if I trusted my gut 10% more?
Then move.
Even if it’s just a conversation you’ve been avoiding.
Even if it’s just naming the truth to yourself.
Even if it’s just clearing the noise and saying: this is where we’re going.
Here’s what I know:
The future doesn’t belong to the most certain.
It belongs to the most committed.
The ones who go first.
The ones who move with conviction even when the map is fuzzy.
The ones who don’t just tolerate change, but lead into it.
So go first.
Not because it’s safe.
Because it’s yours to do.
This week’s reflection:
Where are you waiting for clarity when what’s needed is courage?
Don’t wait to know.
Move because you care.
Move because it matters.
Move because it’s time.
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Steve Knox | Austin, Texas
\\\ This is the second installment of a 7 week series on Leading through Change. If you missed last weeks’ post you can find it here. Until next week. Be honest. Be you. Much love.