Leaving the Shore: Why “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”

The Comfort of the Shore

For 25 years, I had a clear identity. I worked in corporate America, specifically at Enterprise, where I started as a management trainee and worked my way up to running HR for the state. I loved school, I loved learning, and I loved helping people. But even with decades of experience, I often battled that nagging voice we all know: Imposter Syndrome. I’d wake up wondering, “When are they going to find out I have no idea what I’m doing?”

Last year, I sat in a leadership event at Virginia Peninsula Community College. I was listening to a panelist, a woman who had started her own insurance agency after facing significant personal challenges. She shared a quote by William Faulkner that hit me like a light from above:

“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

That was my spark. I realized I was clinging to the “shore” of my fractional W2 work because it was safe. But I couldn’t reach the new horizon of my own consulting business until I let go.

In my coaching practice, I often talk about the book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. We often think that the skills that made us successful middle managers will automatically make us successful executives or entrepreneurs. They won’t. To get there, you have to change your habits, your routines, and your perspective.

This applies whether you are a police captain, a CEO, or a nonprofit director. You have to be willing to lose sight of your old ways, the “shore”, to build high-performance teams and find true balance.

Finding Your Spark At Elevate Leadership, I don’t want to just light a fire under you (fires burn out). I want to create a spark. Whether we are tackling a “dumpster fire” HR situation or working on your emotional intelligence skills, the goal is to pull the greatness out of you that is already there.

So, I ask you the question that launched my business: What shore are you afraid to lose sight of?

If you are ready to swim toward a new horizon, let’s talk. We can figure out the strokes together.

Karen Witherspoon
CEO Elevate Leadership, LLC