What Every Leader Must Let Go Of and Never Lose Sight Of

Over the past two weeks, my Achilles recovery has taught me two lessons.

The first lesson came when I had to let go of something I thought I still needed. The second came when I almost settled for a destination I had not yet reached. Together, those moments reminded me that leadership is not simply about making progress. It is about releasing what no longer serves you while refusing to lose sight of where you are headed.

The Bars We Outgrow

Six months after Achilles surgery, my physical therapist removed the safety bars from the underwater treadmill. For the first time since my injury, I would have nothing to hold onto if things went wrong. I will admit I was apprehensive. Those bars had become a source of confidence, and without them I wondered whether I was truly ready.

Then I ran anyway. Somewhere in those first few steps, my body remembered what my mind had forgotten: the feeling of freedom of movement.

Later, I realized my therapist had not removed the bars to expose my weakness. She removed them to reveal my capacity. The bars had served their purpose. Keeping them in place any longer would have limited my progress rather than protecting it.

Leaders face the same challenge more often than we realize. We continue to rely on supports that were once necessary but have quietly become limitations. Sometimes those supports are familiar routines. Sometimes they are titles, outdated ways of leading, limiting beliefs, or the approval of others. What once gave us stability can eventually keep us from discovering what we are truly capable of.

Growth often begins when we have the courage to let go of what has already done its job.

When Progress Pretends to Be the Destination

Just a few days later, I caught myself making a different mistake.

For weeks, I had been working to regain a specific movement that would tell me my Achilles was truly recovering, not merely functioning. This week, I reached about eighty percent of that goal, and I felt relieved, almost satisfied.

Then I remembered one of the frameworks I teach my clients. The Momentum Outcome Compass® reminds us that North represents the destination, while West represents the evidence that we are moving in the right direction. Evidence is important because it confirms that progress is occurring. However, evidence is never meant to replace the destination. See image. I realized I was celebrating West before returning to North.

Eighty percent recovery was not my goal. It was evidence that my goal remained possible.

I see leaders make this mistake every day. We celebrate positive indicators, such as a promotion, increased revenue, stronger team engagement, or an important milestone. Before long, those indicators quietly become our destination. We stop pursuing the larger vision because today's progress feels good enough.

For me, North is much more than improved mobility. It is confidently walking through an airport without thinking about my Achilles. It is standing on a stage for hours without discomfort. It is playing on the floor with my nieces and nephew. Those outcomes continue to pull me forward.

Progress deserves celebration, but it should never replace the vision that inspired the journey.

The Leadership Lesson

These experiences reminded me that momentum requires two disciplines.

First, we must let go of what has become a limitation, even if it once served us well. Second, we must refuse to lower our destination simply because we have gathered evidence that we are making progress.

One without the other leads to stagnation. Leaders who never let go remain attached to yesterday's solutions. Leaders who settle too soon stop growing long before reaching their full potential.

The wisdom is learning to do both. Release what you have outgrown and continue pursuing what you have not yet become.

A Question Worth Asking

As you reflect on your leadership, what is one "safety bar" you have outgrown yet still hold on to? And where might you be celebrating signs of progress while quietly settling for less than your true destination?

Those two questions have challenged me over the past few weeks. Perhaps they merit consideration in your leadership journey as well.

If your organization is navigating significant change and needs clarity on what to release and where to go next, I would be honored to help. Through keynote speaking, executive coaching, and organizational consulting, I help leaders build momentum by aligning their actions with their most important destination. Feel free to book your Momentum session here.