366: Leading Through Transitions: The Window You Run Past

Think about the last time you started something new at work. What did you do in those first few days?

If you are like most high performers, you got moving fast, head down, proving you belonged. And you ran right past the one moment that mattered: the quiet window at the very beginning, before anyone had decided who you are here, when you could have asked a different question. Not how do I prove myself. But who do I want to be here?

This is week two of Leading Through Transitions, about the loud, visible career changes (new jobs, promotions, pivots) and the ones nobody hands you: the scope you stretch into, the project you raise your hand for, the decision to show up differently.

I pick up right where last week left off, and get specific about what I did when I switched companies: I slowed down, blocked time each morning to map how the place actually worked before volunteering, and chose who I wanted to be as a leader before I got busy proving myself.

Then I bring back the Four Zones of Work as your compass, and explain why the transitions you choose yourself can be the sneakiest burnout traps of all.

If you are starting something new, thinking about raising your hand for something, or just deciding how you want to show up this season, this one is for you.

In this episode:

• Why every new job, team, role, or project is a window, and why it closes fast
• What running past the window actually costs you six months from now
• The question to ask before what do I want to accomplish here
• The concrete slow-start practice I used at a new company, and what it produced
• The Four Zones of Work, and why high performers burn out in the Excellence zone
• A three-step Four Zones audit you can run today