When CEOs and their teams fail to fully commit to change, change fails. As I saw with the board-breaking exercise, it requires a kind of in-the-moment bravery, a willingness to let go of your timid interior monologue (What if it I fail? What if this isn’t the right thing to do?  What if it’s not possible?) and go all-in. It’s scary to commit to a new course, especially one that’s very different from your current course.

Erika Andersen, How To Be Brave Enough To Change

Sage advice for anyone attempting anything new, unfamiliar, and risky.

I have witnessed this in organizations and with individuals.

When leaders hold back from supporting bold new projects because of objections that sound perfectly rational and logical (“We don’t have the budget for it”) …

When a 40-year-old makes a professional decision that is unlikely to qualify as “a good career move” in the eyes of peers …

When a mum with young kids says yes to an opportunity that will enhance her family’s health and the health of others.

I have seen people half-heartedly attempt change, then wonder why they failed.

I have been one of those people.

When I left the legal profession.

When I migrated.

When I took a few years off to be a stay-home mum.

When I decided to start a business.

When I wrote my first book.

When I tried to re-enter the workforce after an extensive break, and kept getting knocked back.

All this has taught me: if you are serious about change, you have to commit to it.

You have to be all in.

Endure the pain and the inconvenience.

Expect criticism and unsolicited advice, but don’t let the negativity get you.

Be okay with messing up and failing forward.

Journal your lessons and become the expert on what to do and what not to do.

Above all, keep going.

The Best Is Yet To Be.