Change behind the change.
Change isn’t what’s happening in your company.
Change is what’s happening in you.
Most leaders think change is external. New team, new product line, new investor, new org chart.
But if you’ve led long enough, you already know: the real work is invisible. The visible stuff is just the byproduct of what’s happening inside of you.
Change behind the change is more personal.
And it’s harder to face, because you can’t delegate it.
Here’s how it usually goes:
Something in the business starts to feel misaligned.
The energy that used to fuel you dries up.
Things that once worked stop working.
People start leaving.
Or you’re the one thinking about leaving.
You try to fix it externally, process, people, playbook.
But it doesn’t stick.
Because deep down, something in you is shifting.
That’s not a red flag.
That’s an invitation.
This is the season where you stop leading from memory, and start leading from awareness. Not just remembering what worked before, but noticing what’s working now. Not just running the playbook. But, discerning what is going on inside of you.
This is uncomfortable work, because you can’t spreadsheet your way through it. You can’t scale it. You can’t automate it. It asks more of you, not less.
It asks you to stop outrunning the change.
And start embodying it.
If you’re honest, what’s changing in you?
Are you getting quieter?
Less tolerant of bullshit?
More drawn to clarity over complexity?
More aware of your limits?
More ready to tell the truth?
Maybe what’s changing in you is your relationship to power. Or pressure. Or pace. Or purpose.
Maybe you’re starting to want different things. Not bigger, but deeper. Not faster, but truer.
Maybe you’re tired of proving, chasing, fixing, explaining.
Maybe you’re starting to wonder:
What if I’ve already built what I needed to prove something and now I’m ready to build something that actually matters?
Whatever it is, don’t ignore it.
Your company’s future is tied to your willingness to pay attention to what’s surfacing in you.
This is not about navel-gazing. It’s about leadership.
In times of change, people look to the founder or CEO for stability. They want to know you’re anchored. That you’re awake. That you’re not making moves out of panic, ego, or pressure to perform, but out of conviction.
And, you can’t fake that.
They can feel when you’re scattered.
They can tell when you’re performing.
They know when you’re avoiding something.
The team reads you like yesterday’s news.
They calibrate to your energy more than your vision deck.
So if you’re out of sync with yourself, the whole system starts to wobble.
Leading through change starts with facing what’s true.
That’s your job this week.
Not to fix. Not to plan. Not to charge forward.
But to notice.
Where is change already happening inside you, and you’ve been resisting it?
That’s the edge worth leaning into.
That’s where the growth is.
You don’t need a five-point plan yet.
You need to be honest with yourself.
That’s where clarity begins.
And that kind of clarity? It’s contagious.
Try this:
Take 30 minutes this week, and ask yourself (without judgment):
What’s no longer energizing me?
What am I pretending not to notice?
What is this season really asking of me?
Where am I being invited to let go?
You can journal this. Or talk it out with a trusted advisor. Or take a solo walk and ask each question out loud.
Just don’t skip it.
Because here’s the truth: If you avoid the inner change, you’ll create outer chaos.
But, if you own the inner change, you’ll lead from solid ground, no matter how messy things get.
You can’t outsource this part. But, you’re not alone in it, either.
The best leaders I know aren’t the ones who have all the answers. They’re the ones who keep showing up to the questions. They lead from presence, not performance. And, when they shift internally, everything around them shifts with them, too.
This week’s reflection:
What’s the change behind the change for you right now?
What’s asking to shift in you, even if you don’t know what’s next yet?
Don't rush it. Don’t run from it.
Just name it. That’s where your leadership starts.
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Steve Knox | Kansas City
\\\ Thanks as always for reading. Please forward this to a leader in your orbit who needs it. I’ll be back in your inbox next week with a followup to today’s post. Until then. Be honest. Be you. Much love.