Field Notes: The Weight and Gift of Letting Go.
This past month I’ve been with three different leaders, all standing in that strange space between what was and what needs to be.
One executive had to make hard calls about long-term team members. People she cared about, people who had helped build the company. But, the truth was, they weren’t right for where the business is headed. It wasn’t about loyalty or tenure, it was about alignment. She didn’t take it lightly, but she knew that protecting the mission sometimes means making decisions that cost you comfort.
Then there’s a Founder I’ve been walking with who’s trying to step up and truly work on the business instead of in it. For years, he’s been the rescuer, the one who jumps in when things get messy, who carries the weight for everyone else. But, now he’s learning to trust his team to lead, even when they stumble. It’s uncomfortable. It’s vulnerable. But, he’s realizing that leadership isn’t control, it’s trust.
And, finally, a friend of mine just launched his own business. You could see the fire in his eyes, and the fear behind it. He kept saying things like, “I just don’t know if I’m ready.” I told him what I tell myself all the time: no one feels ready. You just start. Then you learn.
Three people, three very different stages, but the same truth underneath it all: growth always begins with letting go.
We tend to think growth is about adding, adding skill, adding success, adding clarity. But, most of the time, growth feels like subtraction. It’s letting go of the version of yourself that got you here so you can become the one who can get you there.
The executive had to let go of loyalty as her guiding compass.
The Founder had to let go of his need to be indispensable.
The entrepreneur had to let go of his need for certainty.
Every one of them was crossing the same invisible threshold, trusting that what comes next is worth the cost of what they’re leaving behind.
That’s the real work of leadership. It’s not about having all the answers or holding all the power. It’s about presence, the willingness to stay grounded in the tension between what you love and what you must do.
For the executive, that meant necessary endings. For the Founder, it meant shifting from hero to architect. For the entrepreneur, it meant starting before he felt ready.
And, maybe that’s the work we’re all doing, learning to release the version of ourselves that’s outlived its purpose. The one that’s safe, capable, familiar.
Every time I sit with a leader in that space, I’m reminded: leadership isn’t about control. It’s about surrender. It’s about courage. It’s about choosing what’s right, not what’s easy.
So wherever you are right now, facing a hard call, stepping back to trust your team, or taking the first shaky step into something new, remember this: you don’t need perfect clarity to move forward. You just need honesty and the guts to take the next right step.
That’s how growth happens.
Not in the certainty of the plan, but in the faith to keep going.
Letting go isn’t weakness. It’s what strong leaders do.
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Steve Knox | Carmel, CA
\\\ Thanks as always for reading. Please forward or share this with your corner of the world, especially with the folks wrestling with big decisions like these. Until next week. Be honest. Be you. Much love.