For 30 years in retail across France and Europe, I moved from one transition to the next โ companies, roles, countries.
And every time, the same instinct: go fast.
Cross from one shore to the other without lingering in between.
It was while writing my Masterโs thesis at Dauphine that I understood something essential.
W. & S. Bridges describe every transition as having three phases: endings, the neutral zone, and new beginnings.
And for me, the most powerful one is the middle phase โ the neutral zone โ the space of opportunity.
Youโve left the old role, but you donโt fully inhabit the new one yet.
This stage is part of the journey โ and it is necessary for the success of what comes next.
Trying to rush through it exposes you to:
โข repeating old responses in a new reality
โข never fully letting go of what youโve left
โข arriving โsomewhere newโ without truly having changed
Change is a decision.
Transition is a process.
Succeeding in it means allowing that crossing to happen โ sometimes alone, sometimes like a crew on a catamaran.
So when you feel โin betweenโ, the real question is:
๐ What do I need to leave behind so that the new can genuinely emerge โ here and now?
#Transition #Leadership #Management #Coaching #Transformation