What’s Really Blocking Your Growth?
Welcome to another Toolkit Tuesday! Every week, our goal is to give you a practical leadership tool to put in your toolkit.
So there I was, in a leadership cohort I was coaching some time ago, one of the business leaders—an incredibly capable entrepreneur with seemingly unlimited potential—shared candidly, “I don’t want to stay up all night to get this project done.” The project in question wasn’t just another task—it was something that could have made a significant impact on their business.
Another participant responded with a simple but striking line: “Your desire to not be broke has to be greater than your desire to sleep.”
That line hit the group hard—and it hit me personally, too.
I’ve been in that exact place. Wanting the outcome, knowing what needs to happen next, but hesitating when it comes time to make the tradeoffs. I’ve talked myself out of action—not because I didn’t care, but because I hadn’t fully confronted what was driving my resistance. I’ve felt stuck in that tension between knowing I’m capable and still not moving.
What stood out in that conversation wasn’t laziness or lack of effort. It was clarity. The dissatisfaction with the status quo was there—but maybe not fully explored. The vision for what could be? Still a little foggy. And the natural next step? Not obvious or compelling enough to break through the resistance.
The desire for change was real—but the conditions for change weren’t yet in place.
The Challenge
Change is essential if you want to grow, but that doesn’t make it easy. As leaders, we often assume the need for change is obvious and that people will follow. But without the right conditions, even well-meaning efforts stall out.
We forget that resistance to change is normal. If we don't intentionally speak to what’s not working, cast a compelling picture of the future and offer a simple path forward, our team will either burn out or disengage.
Resistance wins—and momentum is lost.
The Tool: Change Equation
The Change Equation is a simple yet powerful diagnostic tool for evaluating whether change is actually possible—or just wishful thinking. It looks like this:
D × V × N > R
(Dissatisfaction with the status quo × Vision of the future × Natural next step > Resistance to change)
Let’s unpack that:
Dissatisfaction with the status quo: Why does the current reality need to change?
Vision of the future: What does a better future look like?
Natural next step: What is the clear, tangible action to get moving?
If any of these are weak—or missing—the left side of the equation collapses. Resistance becomes stronger than the drive for change. But when all three elements are strong and aligned, change not only becomes possible—it becomes inevitable.
Why This Matters Now
We live in a world of rapid disruption and shrinking attention spans. Leaders who don’t slow down to craft a clear, compelling case for change risk creating confusion, fatigue, or apathy on their teams.
The Change Equation gives you a language and framework to lead people through change with clarity and purpose. It ensures you're addressing why the current situation can’t continue, where you’re going and how to begin moving now. It helps you speak to every Voice in the room and creates momentum built on alignment—not force.
The Result
That conversation in the Mastermind wasn’t really about sleep or hustle—it revealed something deeper. There was a tension between effort and direction. The dissatisfaction with the current reality was bubbling beneath the surface, but hadn’t been fully named. The vision of the future was unclear. And there wasn’t a natural next step laid out.
It was a clear signal that this person—and maybe others—were stuck in the gap between potential and clarity. That’s exactly where the Change Equation can help. Not as a one-time fix, but as a lens to diagnose what’s missing and build the momentum for change.
That’s the power of this tool—it transforms fog into focus.
Take Action
1. Use the Change Equation: Identify an area where you're feeling stuck. Ask yourself:
What’s not working (Dissatisfaction with the status quo)?
What would better look like (Vision of the future)?
What’s one simple way to get started (Natural next step)?
2. Book a Strategy Session: If you’re ready to take your business, leadership, or life to the next level, let’s talk. In a free strategy session, we’ll use the Change Equation to help you find clarity, identify what’s holding you back, and chart your best next move.
Closing the Loop
That moment is still echoing: “Your desire to not be broke has to be greater than your desire to sleep.” But change doesn’t come from grit alone. It comes when we intentionally build a case for it—one that’s stronger than the resistance standing in the way.
When your dissatisfaction, vision, and next steps are aligned, change stops being hard—and starts being inevitable.
Lead hard.
