The Leadership Blog

You're Not Stuck: You're an In-Betweener

#growth forward progress groth plan in between leadership leader progress momentum next level leadership next steps stuck/not stuck team progress Oct 11, 2026

Have you ever looked at your organization or team and thought, We're capable of so much more?

You probably have a talented team, but they're not working together as effectively as they could. Perhaps you've got a strategic plan that looks great on paper, but turning those priorities into action has been a struggle. Or maybe you can see opportunities your organization hasn't fully embraced, and you're trying to figure out how to get everyone moving in the same direction.

You're not where you used to be, but you're not yet where you want to be, either.

Congratulations you’re an In-betweener.

I've learned the space between today's reality and tomorrow's possibilities can be one of the most frustrating places for a leader. You see the potential. You know there's a better way. But knowing where you want to go and getting an entire team to move in that direction are two very different things.

The temptation is to push harder, launch another initiative, schedule another meeting, or write another plan.

Sometimes, what we really need is to stop, take an honest look at where we are, and make a few intentional adjustments.

Here are five tips for leading your organization through the in-between.

1. Stop confusing activity with progress.

Busy teams aren't necessarily productive teams. Your people can spend an entire week in meetings, answer hundreds of emails, and check off dozens of tasks without moving the organization any closer to its goals.

Ask yourself: What are we doing that is actually moving us forward?

Try this: At your next team meeting, identify your three most important organizational priorities. Then ask everyone to consider whether their current work supports those priorities. You may discover the problem isn't a lack of effort. It's a lack of focus.

2. Diagnose the gap before prescribing the solution.

When results aren't where we want them to be, leaders often jump straight to solutions. Sound familiar? But the symptom isn't always the problem.

Are people unclear about expectations? Do they lack the skills or resources to succeed? Are departments working toward competing goals because they’re siloed? Is accountability inconsistent? Or have we simply become comfortable doing things the way we've always done them?

Try this: Ask your team three questions:

What's working that we need to protect?
What's getting in the way of better results?
If we could change one thing to make the biggest difference, what would it be?

Listen carefully before deciding what to fix. Your team may see something you haven't.

3. Get your people moving in the same direction.

You can be a great leader and have a compelling vision. However, if everyone interprets the priorities differently, you’ve got a problem you likely didn’t know existed. This is a sneaky one that I’ve overlooked before. Just because the plan is clear to you doesn’t mean it’s clear to everyone.

Leaders have to connect the dots between the big picture and the work people do every day.

Try this: Ask each member of your leadership team to name the organization's top three priorities without looking at a document. Compare the answers. If you get different responses, you've uncovered an opportunity to strengthen alignment.

Clarity doesn't guarantee execution, but a lack of clarity makes execution nearly impossible.

4. Stop waiting for perfect conditions to make progress.

Sometimes the organizational in-between lasts because leaders are waiting for everything to line up. We need more money, more people, better technology, more information, or one more approval.

You may not be able to accomplish everything you want today, but you can usually identify something worth doing now.

Try this: Ask your team, What could we improve in the next 30 days with the people, time, and resources we already have?

Choose one meaningful improvement, assign ownership, and establish a deadline. Start there. Small wins can create momentum, build confidence, and reveal what needs to happen next.

5. Lead the people, not just the plan.

Here's something we sometimes forget when we're focused on organizational performance: People experience change differently.

Some are ready to move forward. Others are worried about what they'll lose. Some are eager to try something new, while others need to understand why the current approach isn't good enough.

You can't assume that because you've explained the vision, everyone is ready to act on it.

The organizational in-between requires more than a good strategy. It requires leaders who communicate consistently, listen to concerns, develop their people, and hold the team accountable for moving forward.

Try this: Have a conversation with your team about what the change you're pursuing means for them. Ask what excites them, what concerns them, and what support they need. Then follow through on what you hear.

You don't have to eliminate every concern to make progress. But you do have to lead people through the uncertainty rather than expecting them to figure it out alone.

The Leadership Challenge

Every organization has an in-between. Between the culture you have and the culture you want. Between the way things work today and the better way you can envision for tomorrow.

You don't have to close that gap overnight. But you do have to be intentional about closing it.

Here's my challenge: Take an honest look at your team or organization this week. Identify the biggest gap between where you are and where you want to be. Then choose one action you can take in the next 30 days to begin closing it. Not five initiatives. Not another elaborate plan. One meaningful step.

If you're reading this thinking, I know where I want my team to go, but I'm having trouble figuring out the next step, you're not alone.

Leaders have a lot on their plates. Sometimes we're so busy managing today's challenges that it's hard to step back, see the bigger picture, and figure out the best path forward.

That's where I love to help.

As an executive coach, I work with leaders to cut through the noise, gain clarity, identify what's getting in the way, and create a path toward the vision they have for themselves and their organizations. Sometimes, having someone ask the right questions and offer a fresh perspective is exactly what you need to get moving again.

If you're navigating an organizational in-between and would like to talk through what's holding you back and where you want to go, just shoot me a note. I’m here to help.