In one of my coaching sessions, a senior leader sighed and said, “This is hard. Change is hard. Maybe we should wait till things stabilize.”

I smiled and asked, “Are you choosing between hard and easy or are choosing between hard now and harder later.” This question changes his perspective on the situation and what he wanted to do about it.

That’s the thing about growth it always demands discomfort. The only question is when you want to face it.

Remember Nokia? In the early 2000s, they were the mobile phone giant with about 40% global market share, unmatched brand loyalty.
But when smartphones arrived, they hesitated. They had the technology, the talent, and the market position.

What they didn’t have was the courage to challenge their own success.

Reinventing their product and operating model would’ve been hard.
But holding on to “what worked” made things much, much harder later.
By the time they acted, the world had moved on to Apple, to Android, to innovation that didn’t wait for comfort.

The Coaching Lens...
As leaders, we often do the same.
** We delay the tough conversation.
** We postpone the feedback.
** We avoid the restructure, the career pivot, the self-reflection. Just because it’s “not the right time.”

But postponing the hard doesn’t make it go away. It just compounds it.
So here’s a reflection for you:

What is one “hard” you’re avoiding right now that might become harder later if you don’t face it?

Coaching isn’t about making life easy.
It’s about helping you choose the right kind of hard.
The kind that leads to clarity, growth, and change — not regret.

If you think this kind of conversation is for you, reach out to me for a complimentary chemistry session at: https://lnkd.in/gr7gMFau