There comes a moment in every ambitious career when your goals outgrow your current environment. You start thinking bigger, moving faster, breaking from the predictable rhythm that once defined your day-to-day. And just as your vision expands, so does the criticism.
“You’ve changed.” They won’t say it as a compliment.
But that’s exactly what growth demands.
The Myth of Consistency and Comfort
Society celebrates consistency. It loves people who stay in the same job, behave predictably, and avoid rocking the boat. When you deviate from this script, even for the sake of progress, it unsettles those around you. The result? Criticism, isolation, and often, misunderstanding.
But here’s the truth: if everyone always understands and approves of what you’re doing, you’re probably playing too small.
The Cycle of Mediocrity
One of the most common traps in corporate and professional life is mistaking time spent for experience gained. How many people do we know with 30 years in the industry who have actually lived one year of growth repeated 30 times?
Growth doesn’t look like repetition. It looks like reinvention.
This is especially true in tech and innovation leadership. The industry demands rapid learning, evolution, and uncomfortable decisions. Staying still is the quickest path to irrelevance.
Real Growth Looks Different
Progress is not always glamorous. Sometimes, it looks like being left out of conversations you used to enjoy. Sometimes, it means questioning the rituals, routines, and relationships that no longer serve you.
The further you move from the familiar, the lonelier the journey can feel.
But loneliness in this context isn’t a failure. It’s a milestone. You’re no longer conforming to expectations that kept you average. You’re creating a new standard.
The Executive Perspective
In my own journey through executive growth in the tech world, I’ve often found that the most pivotal moments came not from group consensus but from solitary conviction. Whether it was launching a risky initiative, pivoting a product vision, or making a tough team decision, I had to trust my instincts long before others saw the outcome.
Leadership means walking into the fog before the path is clear to anyone else.
Redefining Approval
If your progress relies on applause, you’ll eventually find yourself stuck. True transformation requires a shift: from seeking external approval to honoring internal alignment. Are your actions aligned with your future self’s vision? That’s the only endorsement that truly matters.
Signs you’re on the right track often include:
- Feeling misunderstood or criticized
- Outgrowing familiar patterns and people
- Experiencing moments of solitude or doubt
Conclusion: Stay the Course
Growth isn’t always loud or celebrated. Sometimes it looks like solitude. Sometimes it sounds like silence. But it always feels like progress.
So if you’re feeling misunderstood, good.
It means you’re no longer blending in.
It means you’re no longer repeating the same year on loop.
It means you’re growing.
💪 Stay the course. 💪 Stay misunderstood.
