What happens in the in-between?

Even senior leaders need somewhere safe to say, ‘I’m not sure yet.’

We celebrate the offer letter. Jazz hands the announcement. Post the obligatory “excited to get started”…

And then we quietly hope the person swims.

No matter how senior the appointment, in this gap is often where we find the noisiest inner critics, the most self-doubt, and the pressure to prove rather than integrate.

Onboarding becomes a PowerPoint, back to back coffee chats, and a login (after some email tennis between IT and a PA with the patience of a sentry). The rest? sometimes left to chance.

We’ll habitually sit someone through 3 hours of e-learning on the colours of fire extinguishers, but we don’t invest the same in helping them show up fully in the role and culture we need them to lead in.

We invest in recruitment, strategy, attraction.

But we rarely invest in transitions.

The becoming parts.

The messy middle between the role on paper and the human stepping into an ever changing environment.

If you’ve seen this gap, you’ve felt the impact on the great humans you’ve spent months finding, hours courting, and £’000s hiring.

I’ve personally wobbled on the rollercoaster of new roles or businesses. It’s normal.

The part where you drink from the firehose of learning new acronyms, systems and stakeholders is real.

And so is the overwhelming desire to prove yourself, hustle. To find belonging, acknowledge the normal uncertainty in the in-between.

This time is where inner chatter is loud. Where leaders can start performing a version of themselves that feels safe, or they find how to lead from who they actually are.

Where they decide whether they belong, quietly.

This is the space organisations overlook, often at the cost of delayed impact, misalignment, or early disengagement that no one ever names.

Where is the safe space to admit the wobble? Not necessarily with your leader (you’re still forming a relationship), your team (who are sussing you out), or the recruiter whose job is complete.

As a leader, creating space for yourself is ok, and part of the job. As a business, investing in transition coaching sees tangible shifts.

New starts assimilate faster. Confidence lands sooner. Relationships solidify.

Leaders stop performing a diet version of themselves and start leading from who they really are.

The ROI isn’t fluffy or nice to have. It's necessary.

But more importantly, it’s human.

It treats people as people, not placements.

If you’re bringing in leaders in the new year, or stepping into a new role or team, don’t leave the transition to luck and goodwill. Transitions don’t need to be endured. They can be designed.

This is the work I love. Not the crafted org design or people announcement, the real bit underneath. Creating intentional space where a person becomes part of the ecosystem, claims their voice, and leads from the inside out.

If any of this resonates, I’m always around for a chat. In the meantime, I’ll be in my Christmas Carol Era.🎄Merry Xmas!