Leadership Is Built on Transitions
Written By Chad Truby
Transitions are one of the most powerful—and often overlooked—opportunities for personal and professional growth. They ask us to loosen our grip on the familiar and step into a space of uncertainty, vulnerability, and possibility. Whether we are navigating a career pivot, a leadership evolution, or a deeply personal milestone, transitions have the unique ability to surface insights that otherwise remain hidden in the pace of our daily routines.
Right now, I’m in the midst of a personal transition: our oldest daughter is getting married. It’s a moment filled with profound joy and pride, yet it’s also a quiet reckoning. As a father, a husband, and a son, I find myself reflecting on the layers of identity that evolve during times like these. It’s not painful or negative—but it is real. And like most transitions in life, it’s stretching me to grow in new and unexpected ways.
The leadership scholar William Bridges famously distinguished between change and transition—where change is situational and external, transition is psychological and internal. In his book Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, Bridges writes that “transition is the inner reorientation and self-redefinition that you have to go through in order to incorporate any of those changes into your life.” That internal work is where transformation happens.
As leaders—at work and at home—transitions are part of the terrain. We step into new roles. We shift teams. We launch the next chapter of a career, a relationship, or a life stage. These moments test us. They also invite us to rise.
At Peak Gravity Leadership, we believe the moments in between—between what was and what’s coming—are where the real work (and growth) lives.
If you're facing a transition of your own right now, here are a few mindsets to help you navigate it with strength, clarity, and purpose.
1. Honor What You’re Leaving Behind
Before you can embrace the new, take a moment to name and honor what’s changing. Transitions often carry grief—not just for loss, but for the letting go of a season, a role, or a version of yourself that brought meaning.
What did this phase teach you? Who did it help you become? Who helped you along the way? Leadership isn’t just about charging ahead—it’s also about acknowledging where you've been. Reflect on the successes, the failures, and the relationships you have built along the way as these can be the greatest teachers and guides during the journey ahead.
Peak Gravity Reflection:
What do I need to let go of with gratitude in order to step into what’s next?
2. Lean Into the Uncomfortable Middle
Transitions can feel like standing in the doorway between two rooms. One foot in the past, one not yet grounded in the future. This "messy middle" is where most people want to rush through. But it’s also where the magic happens. Growth lives in this space—if we’re willing to stay present in it. Explore the difference and seek the perspective that is offered in the middle.
Research from the Center for Creative Leadership also shows that the most effective leaders are those who are able to navigate transitions with resilience and self-awareness. In their publication Leadership in Times of Transition, they highlight how developmental growth accelerates when leaders move into unfamiliar roles or environments—if they are willing to engage the discomfort as a catalyst, not a threat.
Instead of rushing through, stay with the uncertainty. Get curious. Notice what’s rising—emotionally, mentally, even physically. The leaders who grow most during transitions are the ones who don’t rush through it, or avoid it.
Peak Gravity Reminder:
Pressure and pause often coexist. Choose pause—it’s where wisdom emerges and the greatest learning moments exist.
3. Let Identity Evolve
Transitions often challenge our sense of identity. Who am I now that I’m not leading that team? Who am I as a parent when my child becomes an adult? Who am I as I shift from doing to mentoring, from striving to stewarding?
Harvard Business Review echoes this in the article How to Navigate a Major Life Transition (HBR, 2020), which explores how intentional reflection during transitional periods allows individuals to reconstruct meaning and build renewed purpose. The authors argue that when we treat transitions as thresholds rather than endpoints, we open ourselves to richer, more integrated forms of leadership.
It’s normal to feel a sense of disorientation. But great leaders allow their identity to evolve. They don’t cling to old definitions—they adapt, integrate, and expand who they are. Growth requires that kind of elasticity.
Peak Gravity Question:
What part of me is ready to evolve—and what do I need to believe in order to allow it? What is on the other side of this change for me?
Final Thought: Growth Lives in the Transition
The truth is, transitions are not detours on the path of leadership—they are the path. They force clarity. They test our courage. They change our perspective. They expand our capacity to lead, love, and live with more depth.
So if you’re standing at a threshold right now, know this: you’re not alone. You’re exactly where you are meant to be. Take the first step. Afterall, this is when growth happens.
And from one leader in transition to another—keep going. There’s something beautiful waiting on the other side.
References
Bridges, W. (2004). Transitions: Making sense of life’s changes. Da Capo Press.
Center for Creative Leadership. (n.d.). Leadership in times of transition.
Ibarra, H., & Barbulescu, R. (2020, September 29). How to navigate a major life transition. Harvard Business Review.