The Reset: Breaking Free from the Consistency Trap

In Part 1, we talked about how consistency—the very thing that built your success—can become the death of your vision when you refuse to recalibrate. We exposed the propaganda, the avoidance dressed up as spiritual bypassing, the warning signs, and the cost.

But what’s the remedy?

Context Changes Everything

Yesterday's breakthrough becomes today's bottleneck when you refuse to adapt.

You can't lead based on assumptions. Context matters. The season matters. Conditions matter.

Let's get real about why leaders refuse to recalibrate. Sometimes, it’s because we don't want to be bothered. It requires extra energy, extra effort, extra time, and extra sacrifice. We're already maxed out and really don't want one more thing on our plates. So we don't do it, slap a "trusting God" sticker on it, call it faith, and continue the cycle.

Disruptive leaders don't get to play it safe. We signed up to challenge systems and pioneer paths, which means we go first. We let God disrupt our patterns before we try to disrupt anything else. We can't call people to a courage we're not willing to live ourselves.

Recalibrating requires thoughtfulness, and intentional thinking requires energy we oftentimes convince ourselves we don't have.

But guess what…

If we actually take the time to recalibrate, our burdens will be lightened instead of made heavier.

How to Get Out of the Rut

I shared with the members of The Disruptor’s Council™ that my word for 2025 was “recalibrate.” After having major surgery in the first quarter, I was forced into a position of divine rest (8-weeks of physician-commanded rest, to be exact). This allowed me to recognize the hamster wheel I’d been on, how I ended up on it, and what needed to happen for me to finally get off. The “journey to different” has been something amazing. It has also required restructuring, redirecting, and a series of definitive decisions that implemented new boundaries.

Pause. Did I disrupt your train of thought by not using a pattern of 3 Rs in the previous sentence to describe my journey? That was intentional.

So how do you escape this consistency trap once you realize you're in it? First, stop making excuses. Then, consider this framework:

1. Context Awareness (See what's actually happening): Stop assuming you know what's going on. Your routine has blinded you. What's changed in your market? Your team? Your family? Your calling? Situational awareness isn't optional for leaders.

2. Reassessment (Evaluate what needs to change): Are your goals still the right goals? Are your methods still effective in moving you toward the vision? Are your priorities aligned with what God is doing right now—not what He was doing last year? You can't expect to lead with greater accuracy and effectiveness if you fail to address the changing conditions.

3. Re-prioritization (Act on what you discovered): This is where most leaders fail. They see what needs to change but don't actually change it. Re-prioritize based on the new context. Some priorities will need to be rearranged, while others need to be cut off completely. Make the adjustment before it's forced on you. Just do it. And stop spiritualizing your resistance. The probability of you receiving a lightning bolt from heaven as a divine sign is slim.

Guardrails to Keep You Out of the Rut

Getting out is one thing, but how do you keep yourself from sliding back into tunnel vision and avoid leadership zombie mode?

Build recalibration into your routine. Make it a habit to regularly assess whether your habits still serve your vision. Schedule time—quarterly, monthly, even weekly—to step back and look at the bigger picture. This isn't optional.

Get bumper buddies. Using Ford Taylor’s Transformational Leadership concept, these are accountability partners who can expose your blind spots and bump you back into alignment. Have different bumper buddies for different areas of your life—a close member of your immediate family, someone who has keen insight into your business, someone who can ask the tough questions.

Side note: Be willing to listen and apply what you're told. We fall short here constantly. We ask for feedback, nod our heads in agreement, and then do absolutely nothing with it. Don’t waste people's time if you're not going to act on their feedback.

This is exactly what we do in The Disruptor's Council™. If you need the kind of environment where disruptive leaders sharpen each other, this is it.

Take it to the Lord in prayer. Once you get feedback from your bumper buddies, ask God to solidify the conviction in your heart. If the conviction isn't there, if you're not truly convinced, you'll perform for others in the beginning; but you won't follow through to the end. And then you're right back where you started, except now you've disappointed everyone who invested in helping you change.

Philippians 2:13 reminds us that God works in us to will and to act according to His good purpose. Ask Him to instill in you the urgency, desire, and the grace to embrace the process.

The Bottom Line

Consistency is powerful. But consistency without discernment and wisdom is a train wreck waiting to happen. "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty." (Proverbs 27:12)

The vision isn't about maintaining your routine. It's about partnering with God to bring something into existence that didn't exist before. That requires you to stay flexible and reset when the context demands it.

It’s your move. And if you need leaders who will help you make it, we are waiting on you. I invite you to DM me if you’d like to learn more joining The Disruptor’s Council™.