The way out is through. And the way through is trust.

Jun 11

JUNE 11, 2024

Growth is not just a function of better strategy, more grit, and harder work. It’s a function of the real work: the uncomfortable work to let go of what we already know and trust that there’s something greater on the other side. A cultivated belief that we can depart from the status quo – about ourselves, our teams, our companies – and realize our potential beyond it.

Cultivate a personal trust that you can let go of what you already know to realize something greater beyond it.

The way out is through – that phrase shared from my Mom years back has become a guidepost not just for my work, but my life. It means that we cannot avoid, deny or just “survive” uncomfortable things from which we want to grow – we have to face them head on. That discomfort is the cornerstone of growth…

But what I’ve realized from hundreds of keynotes, reaching over a million people and working with some of the largest companies in the world to shape their culture, is that it’s more than that. Before we take that step forward, let’s take a step back.

Many of you know that I grew up in my family’s retail grocery store and spent my early career founding and growing retail tech companies. I could see all these new emerging tools, technologies, processes and an industry ripe to grow from them.

But I noticed innovation – as it was currently being practiced, wasn’t enough. It landed as the idea of growth combined with tactical tricks, tips and technologies. It was changing the facade of companies and teams, but underneath it all they were still the same. Same fears, same doubts, same limiting beliefs – just now with more toys and more things to do.

They hadn’t been able to cultivate the capacity to grow who they were, so they were left unchanged, just with new under-resourced projects, under-utilized technologies, and ineffective processes.

So I started to look for what could solve what they were truly struggling with. Turns out, the same thing that was missing for them, had been missing for me coming out of a massive business failure years ago: confronting the discomfort of real change.

Real change requires us – as individuals and as organizations – to step into the unknown. It’s hard, disorienting and uncomfortable, but we must go through that discomfort no matter what it is – as the results we’re looking for are on the other side.

The work became how you probably know it today: finding growth by moving through fear, doubt and limiting beliefs…which is what I’ve been working on myself and with clients for the last several years.

I pursued every growth modality imaginable from the traditional to the unconventional to the off-the- charts crazy. I was researching, studying, developing case studies, talking with many of you, looking at everything from business cultures from all industries to indigenous cultures from all parts of the world.

Looking further into what I was learning and experiencing – All growth took something. It all required confronting fear. Committing to overcoming doubt. The humility to let go of my limiting beliefs.

But what I found is that growth is not just a function of better strategy, more grit, and harder work. What we need is the real work: the uncomfortable work to let go of what we already know and trust that there’s something greater on the other side.

Trust, as I now define it, is the courageous act of seeing possibility in the unknown. A cultivated belief that we can depart from the status quo – about ourselves, our teams, our companies – and realize fuller potential beyond it.

There is no growth without discomfort. And my Mom was right – the way out and the way up is ALWAYS through. But the vehicle we use to go through it is trust. Trust in ourselves, our process, our organizations and even greater potential – No Matter What.

We’ve been doing preliminary work and research around this for 18 months. Trialed our expanded thoughts and thinking inside of companies and with many of you– refining it each step of the way. And now… I’m honored to share with you what we’ve created, together.

Check out our new website and new speaking reel and I’d love to hear your thoughts and reactions. You know where to find me.

Thank you for being a part of this journey – the ups and downs and everything in between. You have my word that we’ll keep this Movement rolling, together – No Matter What.

Key Idea

The way out is always through. And the way through is trust.

Takeaway

Cultivate a personal trust that you can let go of what you already know to realize something greater beyond it.

Build your Movement

What knowledge do you have about yourself, others or the world that might be holding you back?

Can you find the trust to start questioning it to discover something beyond it?