The Leadership Blog

Disrupt Yourself Before Someone Else Does

change management disrupt before you get disrupted leadership disruption professional development progress disruption Apr 11, 2026

I hope you know how much I love sharing my leadership experience with you. Because you read my blog weekly, I have to keep learning in order to have content worthy of your time. Last week I came across the work of Whitney Johnson. I think you’re going to love it and hate it all at the same time. That’s how I feel about it but it’s ohhhhhh so useful.

She’s the CEO and co-founder of Disruption Advisors, and her focus is simple but powerful: if you want to grow your career or your leadership, you have to be willing to disrupt yourself first.

Not your competitors.
Not your team.
Not the market.

YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And that’s where things get uncomfortable.

Let’s talk about the kind of disruption no one volunteers for

Most of us like the idea of growth. We’ll even say we want change.

But what we really want is improvement without disruption.

A promotion without the learning curve.
A new opportunity without the risk.
A bigger impact without letting go of what’s familiar.

Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.

Real growth requires what Johnson calls self-disruption, the willingness to walk away from competence and step into uncertainty. I admit I find that terrifying, but I’ve done it many times throughout my career. I’ve gotten comfortable being uncomfortable. Yes, I said that out loud…well sort of.:)

I’ve created success doing things I’ve NEVER done before. I find that exhilarating. Pushing through the fear and forcing myself to learn new things, develop new strategies and create new opportunities for positive impact. That’s where your leadership either expands or stalls.

The S-Curve: Why success can actually hold you back

One of the most powerful frameworks Whitney teaches is the S-curve of learning.

Here’s the gist:

At the beginning, everything feels slow and awkward
Then you hit your stride and growth accelerates
Eventually…you plateau

That plateau is dangerous. Because it feels like success. You’re confident. Capable. Respected. But you’re no longer growing. This is where great leaders make a bold decision:

Do I stay where I’m excellent or move to where I’m a beginner again?

Choose the latter and BINGO…that move right there is self-disruption and it’s the difference between staying relevant or slowly becoming obsolete.

Play to your strengths… but don’t hide in them

We talk a lot about strengths in leadership. Yes, you should absolutely know what you’re great at. But here’s the trap: strengths can become a hiding place. You keep doing what you’re good at…you get rewarded for it and before you know it, you’ve built a career around comfort instead of courage.

Johnson challenges leaders to do something different:

Double down on what makes you distinctive
But stretch those strengths into unfamiliar territory.

For me that’s my willingness to challenge the status quo. What is it for you?

That’s where innovation lives.

Constraints aren’t the enemy they’re the spark

We love to blame constraints: (Imagine me whining when you read these next three bullet points.)

Not enough time
Not enough resources
Not enough support

But some of the most creative breakthroughs happen because of constraints, not in spite of them.

Constraints force clarity. They demand prioritization. They push you to think differently.

Instead of asking, “Why is this so hard?”
Try asking, “What is this forcing me to do differently?”

That shift alone can unlock entirely new solutions.

Let’s redefine failure (because you’re going to need to)

If you’re truly disrupting yourself, failure isn’t optional, it's guaranteed.

But failure only becomes a problem if you treat it like a verdict instead of data.

Every misstep gives you information:

What didn’t work
What needs adjusting
Where do you need to grow

The best leaders aren’t the ones who avoid failure. They’re the ones who learn faster than everyone else. Anyone who knows me knows I like to move quickly. Why? Because it gets me better results faster.

Emergent strategy: Stop over-planning your future

Here’s another truth we don’t always like: You can’t map out everything. I should know because I’ve certainly tried. It’s impossible. Look at all the stress I just saved you. You’re welcome.

The most effective leaders don’t just follow a rigid plan; they adapt in real time.

This is what’s called emergent strategy:

You set a direction
You take action
You adjust based on what you learn

It’s less about having the perfect plan and more about staying responsive, aware, and willing to pivot. However, you need to be careful. If you pivot too quickly without helping your team adjust, they’ll get frustrated very quickly because your team will disengage and you’ll lose momentum.

So, what does this look like in real life? If you’re ready to turn disruption into your competitive advantage, start here:

Audit your S-curve
Where are you right now, early, middle, or plateau?
If you’re coasting, it might be time to jump.
Take one strategic risk this quarter
Not reckless. Not random.
Something that stretches you beyond your current comfort zone.
Reframe a constraint you’re facing
Instead of seeing it as a blocker, ask how it could sharpen your thinking.
Run small experiments
Don’t wait for certainty. Test, learn, adjust. This one’s, my fav. I do it all the time.
Normalize failure conversations
With your team and yourself. What are you learning, not just what are you achieving?

The world is changing fast. Leadership is changing even faster.

The leaders who thrive won’t be the ones who avoid disruption. They’ll be the ones who create it intentionally.

So, the real question is:

Where in your life or leadership are you overdue for disruption?

Because if you don’t disrupt yourself eventually, someone else will.