Living in the "in-between" indefinitely is a choice, not a sentence.
I used to tell myself I was just in a "season of preparation," but I was actually building a cage out of disguised fear.
For years in IT leadership, I sat in the safety of standard operations, waiting for the "right time" to fully step into my calling.
I was waiting for the next major system deployment, the next promotion, or the next organizational shift before making my true move.
In reality, staying suspended between my technical safety net and my real purpose wasn't passive waiting—it was an active decision to delay my impact.
When we stay stuck in that middle ground, friction takes over:
Stagnation: Managing tasks, tickets, and system metrics because it's comfortable, while your actual leadership capability plateaus.
Discord: Operating under a positional title that demands management, while ignoring the deeper need for authentic human connection.
Dissonance: Knowing your true energy comes from coaching people, yet spending 80% of your day staring at operational dashboards.
Here is the shift I had to make: Investing in people over tasks multiplies both impact and joy.
What I have learned is that leadership isn't about managing projects or maintaining output—it's ultimately about legacy. The shift from positional manager to identity-based leader happened the moment I stopped managing systems and started developing, mentoring, and empowering the people running them.
Fostering trust and creating space for others to grow isn't just a soft skill; it is the ultimate driver of performance and fulfillment.
Preparation has an expiration date. Alignment requires action.
So stop letting fear disguise itself as patience.
Which side of the "in-between" are you currently spending most of your energy on?
How do you actively distinguish between necessary preparation and comfortable delay in your career?
When was the exact moment you realized your leadership was meant to focus on people over tasks?
#ITLeadership #PeopleFirst #ExecutiveCoaching #PersonalGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment
